A post by Pete Enns caught my attention today. It is not unusual for new year’s resolutions to include some new or renewed commitment to engage the Bible. Perhaps, it’s reading through the Bible in one year or just resolving to read each day,or more often. I am no stranger to such resolutions. If you have made or are inclined to make such a resolution, I would encourage you to consider some observations Enns made regarding engaging the Bible in his post:
Evangelical “engagement”
The assumption that in the Bible God speaks to us today directly, plainly, and clearly, yielding moral and scientific certitudes;
That engaging Scripture means finding the answers to our questions rather than challenging our preconditioned thinking;
That expressions of doubt, disagreement, or even intellectual curiosity are out of place, signs of a weak faith rather than a faith that is growing;
That God’s communication is fundamentally on the level of “Bible verses” that can safely be isolated from their historical, literary, and theological context;
That the Bible’s main purpose is as an evangelistic tool, namely to provide information so that we can be “saved” from eternal conscious torment in hell.
[Consider giving the] Bible …its due respect as:
a book that invites Christians to experience the mystery of God in Christ;
a book that encourages Christians, not by promising answers to every question that plagues us, but by modeling for us trust in our Creator when those answer are not apparent—or when they never come;
a book whose main purpose is to cultivate mature faith in followers of Jesus over time along life’s journey.
The Bible has captivated some of the greatest minds of more than 2,000 years of history. It is indeed worthy of engagement—serious engagement. The question is, what does that engagement look like?
That is an interesting observation. I would have to say I agree more than disagree. I received an NLT this Christmas with readings for each day that is set in chronological order so some of the readings from Genesis have been interrupted by 1 Chronicles. I think I will very much appreciate it.