Theme 2: How to approach the Bible

In this theme…

a.       What is your favourite Bible story?      

b.       Why do Bibles look like they do on the page?

c.       How did the Bible get the chapters and verses?

d.       How should we read the Bible?

e.       Is it important to pay attention to genre, among other things, when we read the Bible?

f.        What are some of the traps to avoid in reading the Bible? 

1. What appeals to you about hearing others tell about their favourite Bible story? What do you notice about the way they tell their story?

2. Identify a story or character from the Bible that made an impact on you. What was it about the story that made such an impact?

3. In what ways might you explore that story further? Consider exploring the context out of which the story was written, finding other versions of the story or just reading it several times over to revisit the characters and message.

1. The history of Bible construction is a history of the written word! Do you have a preference for the way a Bible looks? What elements of that format appeal to you?

2. ‘How your Bible looks depends on its purpose’. If you have a Bible, look inside and see what it was designed for. Does it have 2 or 3 columns? Is there a section for notes and information on the text? Is it written across the page and in paragraphs? How does the way a Bible is set out shape your relationship with it?

3. If you don’t have a Bible, what version(s) would be useful for you and why? How would you like to see a Bible set out?

1. Ever encouraged to learn ‘memory verses’ as a child? Do you remember some of those? Think of a time when a particular verse has helped you in a challenging time.

2. Why not do some research and find the full story of the development of chapters and verses in the Bible. Wikipedia is a good place to start.

3. In what ways are the chapters and verses useful tools for readers of the Bible?

4. In what ways would the reading experience be different if the verses and chapters were not there?

1. If we choose to read the Bible sacramentally as Greg suggests, what might that mean for our reading habits? Our attitudes in reading, or our expectations for what we might discover?

2. How might reading sacramentally influence our acceptance of what we DO discover?

3. If this is something you’d like to do, perhaps use a journal to plan your reading times and reflections from the process.

4. In our BIBLE360 Intro to the Bile seminar, we talk about the ‘3 Worlds of the Bible’ approach: The world OF the text, the world BEHIND the text and the world IN FRONT of the text. If that intrigues you, do some research and see what you can find out.

1. Spend some time in Genesis. Read the first creation story as a song and be conscious of the refrain. How does an understanding that this is a poem/song influence your reading experience?

2. Some people enjoy narratives, others biography, others how-to manuals, others poetry. What are your favourite genres to read, watch or listen to?

3. Find out the different genres of writing that appear in the  Bible, and see if there’s one of your favourites there. See if you can read it for pleasure as an example of that kind of writing.

4. This video highlights genre. But what other kinds of things should we pay attention to when we read the Bible? 

1. What appeals to you about the Anglican idea that we read and engage with all parts of the Scriptures? What challenges does this create?

2. While single verses might inspire and teach us? What problems arise when a verse is taken out of context?

3. In what areas of our lives do we routinely engage with complete ‘texts’? Some people may read all the books by one favourite author, watch an entire television series, anticipate the release of the next film in a franchise. We have the skills to engage with broad and lengthy texts in other areas of our lives, what can we take from those passions to help enliven our commitment to reading the whole Bible?