New Philadelphia News Across the Pastor’s Desk Bible Bootcamp
Some people think that the best way to read scripture is to read it straight through, in one year’s time. To this end there are a number of popular “Through the Bible in a Year” reading programs, some of which one can receive by email. This method is great for familiarizing ourselves with the total content of scripture, but it is not the only method of study that is useful. Sometimes it is useful to “go deep,” reading a single book of scripture not once but many times. When I was in seminary, studying Romans, I once asked Dr. Chris Becker, one of the world’s leading authorities on Paul, if he though Paul was the author of Romans 16, writing, of course, through his amanuensis, Tertius. (Romans 16:22) There was a big debate in those days as to whether that last chapter of Romans was original to the first 15 chapters, and I thought it would be great to have Dr. Becker’s opinion. Dr. Becker responded at once. He said, “Mr. Green, that is a good question. I want the whole class to go home, read Romans through ten times before our class tomorrow, and you can answer that question to the satisfaction of all.” It was a revelation. I saw things on the 3rd reading I did not see on the 1st or 2nd , and by the 10th reading I had begun to discern Paul’s logic as never before. Last fall I taught a class on the Revelation of St. John the Divine. Convinced that it added little essential knowledge to our doctrine of the End Times beyond what we could read in Mark 13, I had put off a serious study of that book for many years. Jumping in with both feet, I read Revelation through more than 20 times in the course of a month, almost always during my daily exercise on the elliptical I have in my garage. I am so sorry that I delayed this study, for the Revelation contains some of the most sophisticated theology in the New Testament, and it is particularly instructive for understanding the “principalities and powers” in the context of their expression in this world. Just recently I decided to re-discover the gospels, starting with the gospel of Mark, the earliest of the synoptics. On the 1st of July I set a goal of reading it through 10 times by the 21st. Mission accomplished! Now I am trying to read it through an additional ten times before
the 31st. This morning, I finished the 14th reading, and was able to recognize without error the correct chapter of 5 random passages that a friend read to me. It is impossible to go “too deep.” I am starting to call this method of reading the scripture: Bible Bootcamp. It certainly enables one to grasp the content of scripture very quickly. It does take a concentrated effort on the part of the reader. There are many other methods of reading scripture. I would mention one that is more devotional in approach. This method is known as Lectio Divina, which blends blends bible reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. An excellent article in Wikipedia reads: The focus of Lectio Divina is not a theological analysis of biblical passages but viewing them with Christ as the key to their meaning. For example, given Jesus’ statement in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you” an analytical approach would focus on the reason for the statement during the Last Supper, the biblical context, etc. But in Lectio Divina rather than “dissecting peace”, the practitioner “enters peace” and shares in the peace of Christ. In Christian teachings, this form of meditative prayer leads to an increased knowledge of Christ. I would not sacrifice a historical reading for Lectio Divina, nor would I sacrifice Lectio Divina to the historical method. There is room for both. The truth is there are many good ways to study the scripture----if we practice them. Of course, every method of study should ultimately lead to making our scriptural discoveries a part of our lives.
Pastor Green
Read and Study Scripture