It feels like we don’t respect the Bible. We use it as a weapon. As justification. As a tool. We use it as a litmus test and a crutch. We use it as means of separation and as a means of distinction. We use it to gather people to us and to turn them away. Our use of the Bible often feels the least like Jesus we can be.

How we use the Bible in church, how we read lessons from the Old Testament and the New, pray or sing a Psalm, proclaim the gospel in worship provides an episodic view of scripture. We have these moments, context removed and episodes split without the benefit of a “To be continued…” warning. When we cover the Bible this way, even reading 75% of it in worship, we don’t feel like we know it very well. And we lose much (most?) of its beauty.

When we read the Bible on our own, we often start in Genesis and get stuck by the time we get to Leviticus. We get confused by the different types of Scripture and the nature of what we’re reading. And perhaps just as dangerous for our faith, we begin to miss the big picture for the details.

 

'More of us need to read big portions of Scripture and read it like a story.' Share on X

I don’t have a firm position about how to read our scripture. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for me. More of us need to read big portions of Scripture and read it like a story. And many of our people need some assistance in turning the plain reading they do on their own on its head.

These seem to both be true, and necessary, often for the same people.

Bible in Community

There is a good reason that the basic Bible Study has been a central part of church life for many generations. It isn’t a book study or a gossip group. It needn’t be a rigidly academic affair or a place for plain reading assumptions to be cured with an institutional patina. But it can be a place of community, growth, and formation.

For I do worry that without the accountability of a group, we won’t read the Bible. And without the community of a group, we will come to see reading the Bible as a purely solo affair. I worry about poor assumptions and weak study. I worry about picking and choosing the parts we like and ignoring the nasty bits. I worry that we will only relate to our scripture as a source of comfort and not an invitation into challenge.

Most of all, I worry that without a group and extended study, we’ll miss just how freaking awesome this story is. We’ll ignore and we’ll miss and we’ll skip our way past those tensions and layers and intricate pieces that form a rich tapestry, sewn over centuries of faith. A tapestry that is ours and one we are called to know and explore and live with.

And when we lose sight of its beauty, we’ll be left with only utility. Life lessons and weapons of mass destruction. A book to beat our neighbors with and punish ourselves with. A lifeless husk, a shell which at one time contained the pursuit for GOD, relationship, and divine communion. But now is just an excuse to name current values and declare them holy.

Ask Yourself

How is Scripture a part of my life? How do I read it and hear it? When and where? Do I turn to it or does it have a particular place?

Have I ever gotten together with others? Have I ever taken a class in the Bible in school?

Do I take an academic approach to Scripture? Do I need to know about where it comes from and who wrote it? Do I need the details of its origin and those later Scriptures it has inspired? Do I need to apply critical analysis?

Do I take a prayerful approach to Scripture? Do I meditate through it and look for personal relevance? Do I invite myself to explore those great questions I hope to find answers to or those great needs I hope to be fulfilled?

Do I ask myself what this Scripture says to me about GOD? Do I ask what this Scripture said to different generations about GOD? Do I ask if it says anything about GOD?

Do I invite others to join me? Do I share in the beauty of Scripture? Do I read it out loud and marvel and give thanks for it?

Do I give others the chance to open my ears to hear and eyes to see?

 

[This is Day 16 of How to start deconstructing church. The next in the series is “Prayers of the People”. To start from the beginning, read the introduction here.]