The B-I-B-L-E, O that's the book for me,
I stand alone on the Word of God,
the B-I-B-L-E!
I think that's the way the old Sunday School chorus goes. It's been a long time! Today the words seem rather simplistic and not all that reflective of our approach to scripture. Still there is a confidence that the bible matters to us as Christians.
Shortly I will head into the second study group of the week on the same subject, the bible. We have approximately a dozen people in each of the two groups. The evening session includes four men, and we have several people between the two who are in their thirties and forties. The day-time group includes some who have been attending bible study for thirty years or more. This is sort of a Bible 101, although as always I am impressed by the insight and intelligence of participants. Our four sessions are in the form of addressing questions:
Are we still the People of the Book?
Is the bible still a Good Book (is it true?)
Is the bible a dangerous book?
Is the bible a devotional book?
I have invited those involved to be open and frank with their own questions and I've been intrigued by where the discussions have gone.
I was in conversation with several of my colleagues yesterday who are exasperated at offering study groups to which people don't come. I feel fortunate that we have our two groups, and wonder how we can stimulate more involvement, especially from those who have preconceptions about what discussing the bible might entail.
Do you read the bible as part of a regular routine? Do you have the opportunity to converse with others about your questions? Is the bible a mystery or a comfort, or both?
2 comments:
I do read the bible regularly. I have at times studied more intensely than at other times, but I am always reading it. My relationship with the bible has evolved through out a lifetime. In the beginning, as a child, the bible was a mystery because it had a feel of secrecy about it. I read it privately, discussed it with no one, kept it hidden. I had a strange impression that the bible was dangerous. Maybe it was more about the angry vengeful god of my young years, than about the book itself. It's hard to say, faith is such an intricately weaved tapestry. I could write a book about the journey, so I'll have to keep it short. I remember being tempted to believe that the bible was a literal history. I wanted to believe every word as a reliable source of fact, but I couldn't get there in the end. It was less a battle of the intellect, than it was one of truth. I knew I could not be true to myself while professing to believe in the strictest sense. How could I base my faith on a lie to myself? As an adult I turned to history books as an ajunct to my study. I decided what things I would believe were based on historical fact and which things I would appreciate as myth. I studied myth, and learned to appreciate the truth in it's poetry and art. I grew comfortable with myth as another variation of truth, a deeper unexplainable truth about the nature of eternity.
Thanks for your perspective, pupil, and the reminder that you have found the way to stay engaged with scripture.
I know that at least another half a dozen readers are part of the two study groups. I'm curious about their experiences.
Post a Comment