The Bible as Summer Reading As I approach a two-week vacation before leaving for General Convention, a first step is to make sure that that my Kindle is loaded with books. For me, as for many of us, real rest involves getting lost in reading. I would be remiss, however, if I were to exclude the Bible from the list. This is more than a pious truism from a bishop; it is a matter of seriousness for all of us. It is also, dare I say, a source of reading pleasure. The challenge in picking up the Bible is two-fold: it is daunting in size (2,032 pages long, in my tattered reference edition), and it is dense in content. These are not insurmountable obstacles. First, there are accessible plans for reading the whole Bible in do-able stages. One good resource is The Center for Biblical Studies, a website (http://thecenterforbiblicalstudies.org) with a lot of practical advice to help readers tackle the whole Bible, or parts of it. I serve on the National Advisory Board for the Center—mostly an honorary position, but I am glad to lend my name to such an important resource. To the second issue, the density of the scriptural texts, there are very good annotated Bibles available to help the reader understand obscure matters. The Oxford Annotated Bible is a standard reference, as is the HarperCollins Study Bible, a volume with more detailed notes than
the Oxford. Both are available in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), and both include the Apocrypha. Most of the people of the Diocese of Missouri know that I hold participation in God’s mission as nonnegotiable for the Church. Having a scripturally literate Church undergirds this participation, for such a Church is more capable of identifying what God is doing in the world, and joining in. The Bible fills the Church’s imagination for mission and provides a standard against which to judge whatever we might do. Even more to the point, a spiritually adept and Biblically informed Church becomes an engine for mission. We dare not compartmentalize spirituality, Bible, and mission. They belong together. The summer is a good time to get lost in a good book. I encourage you to include scripture, as you line up your summer reading.
July 2012