Is Bible Study For Everyone? 9.1.26
As I board my plane to Richmond and take my aisle seat, I notice a young woman sitting next to me. She keeps looking out of her window. Her hands are clinched – almost into fists. I am one of those people who does not talk to people on planes, especially when traveling for work. I use that precious time to catch up on work or to relax reading a book. I discouraged eye contact and would attempt to make myself smaller – trying to attract as little attention as possible – in case the person next to me misinterprets any sign that human interaction was welcomed. And to ensure that there was no misunderstanding, I would sometimes pull out my book before my seat belt has even clicked shut and begin reading.
But sometimes I am in the mood for conversation. And, in this case, something was bothering the person sitting next to me. So, I politely asked a simple question – just in case, she, like me, did not particularly gravitate to talking to strangers on planes. “Do you fly often?” She could have given me a one-word response, and that would have been fine. I would have left her alone. I probably would have said, “Just curious. Well, am going to read, but if you want to talk, I am right here.” But she did not give me a one-word response. It was as if someone had let the air out of an overly inflated tire.
She did not fly often and hated it, especially taking off and landing. She said she was returning to Virginia after visiting her grandmother. And it was too far to drive. So, we talked. She asked what I was reading. I do not remember what I had in my hand, but I do remember that she seemed to love books. So, I proceeded to tell her about some of my favorite books, both fiction and non-fiction. When meeting someone new I love telling them about books that I have read. I will inevitably mention Scott Peck’s book “The Road Less Travelled.” And explain how it is my companion book to The New Testament.
When I mentioned the New Testament, she said she does not read the bible, never has. So, the obvious question was “Why?” She said it was difficult to read. There was nothing in it that seemed germane or relevant – kind of boring. And to be honest, she had a point. I thought about my own relationship with the bible.
In middle school I started going to church. Sunday School was a part of the program. The Sunday School I attended was like a large bible study. We would study both the Old Testament and the New Testament. At that age, I enjoyed reading and studying the Old Testament much more because it had better stories with lots of fighting, killing and nation building – things that a teenage boy naturally gravitates to. Although we had a good Sunday School teacher, the bible did not speak to me. I was not engaged. Later, as an adult, I would try to read the bible by myself. Although engaged, it still did not speak to me. I envied people who could read the bible and claim that “it spoke to them.”
Later in life I became a member of Christ Church Episcopal in Richmond. I eventually joined a men’s bible study. Like most bible studies, we would pick a book in the bible to read. We would usually study several chapters at a time. Our homework assignment was to read the chapters beforehand. I would dutifully do my homework – most of the time. Our group would then meet, and we would discuss what we had read.
Now, a good bible study uses a predictable rhythm that balances personal connection, careful reading of the text, and practical life application. So, we would ask if anyone had prayer requests, and the leader would then pray and include prayer requests. We would then read the chosen passage out loud to let the words sink in. The bible study leader would start the discussion by asking open-ended questions about the text, moving from what the passage says to what it means. Almost always, the discussion would start slowly – with some hesitation. No one wants to look stupid. But then as we dived more deeply into the text, the conversation would become more robust. And that is when the passages would come to life. Ideas and themes I never imagined would surface. And so, bible study for me became the portal through which I could take away meaning and relevancy from the bible, especially the New Testament. But it needs to be the right group.
It goes without saying that all of us interpret the Bible differently. That is a very good thing. That is why the bible came to life for me during bible study. Others would find interpretations and themes that I did not realize existed in the text. Book clubs exist to discuss favorite books – to find out how others interpreted the author’s intent and to possibly find out if others had similar take-a-ways as yourself.
Unfortunately, I found myself getting agitated during bible study. Two things frustrated me. First, I would find that people would insert their world views onto the text. We all have different world views. And that is the way it should be. Scott Peck describes our world view as our “Religion” because “everyone has an explicit or implicit set of ideas and beliefs as to the essential nature of the world”. And those ideas and beliefs form the basis of our religion. And the hardest thing for any person to do is to change their world view or religion.
However, I believe that reading the bible, especially when discussing it with others, is a time to reflect on our own lives, and determine if our current world view should change a little. In other words, how does the truth of the passage fit into our world view, which dictates our daily choices, our character, and our actions.
Let me give a very simple and straightforward example. The bible study group that I am currently in recently studied chapters five and six of Ephesians. These chapters contain Paul’s letters to the Church in Ephesus, a very important Roman city in the Roman Empire. Ephesus was located on the Aegean Sea in what is today Turkey. These passages contain Paul’s instructions for Christian Living and instructions for running a Christian household. Verse 5 in Chapter 6 states, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” If your worldview happens to be pro-slavery, you just found a passage in the bible that at first glance seems to support slavery. Although this example may seem overly simple and annoying, especially in the context of today’s culture, it was used to defend slavery before the Civil War. And going back to the reasons people join a book club – to find out how others interpreted the author’s intent and to possibly find out if others had similar take-a-ways as yourself – I found that some people in my bible study were focused more on the latter and not the former.
The second thing that frustrated me was that some people in my Bible Study read the bible as literal words from God and that everything in the bible should be taken literally. These are smart people who read the bible this way! My own life journey has led me to believe that much of what we read in the bible should not be taken literally but is meant to be read as metaphors to convey a deeper truth or should be read in context. In reading the bible, I have come to realize that context is everything. In other words, when reading passages, try to understand the historical background and who wrote the letter or book. Ask yourself why were they writing it, when did they write it, where were they, and what were they trying to convey? In summary, discern the main point the author wanted the original audience to understand. Usually, there was a specific reason Paul wrote his letters to various Churches.
I eventually quit that Bible Study Group because I realized that I might be doing harm. When I challenged a literal reading of a passage, I was causing some real consternation. So, that bible study group was not the right one for me. Eighteen months later a member of that group asked me to rejoin. I told him about my frustrations. He said the group had changed and that I would find the discussions less frustrating. I did so. And it has been amazing.
Now, let’s go back to Chapter 6 in Ephesians regarding the slave and his master. The passage goes on to state, “Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart… And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.” Here is the context. Slavery was not only culturally acceptable during Paul’s time, but it was also an integral component of many households. Slavery was an accepted custom – context. But what is Paul doing by speaking to slaves as well as masters? By including the slaves in this passage, Paul is being inclusive. All people, no matter their station is life, have equal value in the eyes of God. That was a very radical concept for the people of that period. This is the first truth in the passage – treat everyone with dignity and respect, no matter their station in life. My father-in-law personified this mantra every day.
Thankfully, we no longer practice slavery. But in our own country we do have many people working without earning a living wage. This passage also speaks to them. And this is the second truth in this passage. No matter what you do, no matter your station in life, take pride in your work and try to find a greater purpose in what you do – like the janitor who does not see himself as a person who cleans rooms, but as someone who ministers to others by making sure that visitors have a clean place to visit their loved ones. The janitor sees himself as a servant who relieves suffering. No matter your station in life, have a positive outlook and live your life in a way that is pleasing to God. My wife saw that practiced in spades when she visited Haiti. Do not play the victim. This does not mean that you should just roll over and accept your fate. It means do what you can to improve your life and the lives of those around you. In so doing, you can find joy, purpose, and in a small way, some agency. And you will make the world a better place to live – for yourself and others.
These “Truths” did not come from me. These truths came from my current Bible Study group. I could never have gleaned these themes and concepts in reading the bible on my own. But I must be honest – even in the best bible studies, there is disagreement. Maybe it is that disagreement that makes it a good bible study. When I made the statement that “context is everything” one of my fellow bible study participants responded with, “I am not sure I totally agree with that. If context is everything, then you can contextualize the truth out of the passage. In other words, you can pick and choose what to contextualize and what not to contextualize”. In a way, he is correct. That is why discernment is so important. But what we realized after talking through his statement is that what he was really referring to was ignoring passages that are difficult to swallow – that do not agree with your world view. We used the Martha and Mary passage where Martha is working very hard to be the perfect host while Mary baths Christ’s feet. I always found that passage confounding until we talked about it. So many times, all of us can be guilty of making sure we get something done instead of being truly present with those we love. And that is why Bible Study helps us get at the truth.
I have come to realize that some people need a deep-seated belief in the bible to make sense of the world. It is their rock – their foundation. Scripture is everything to their faith. I agree that to live a Christian life you should start with scripture, especially the New Testament. But I also like the second and third legs of the Episcopal Church’s doctrine – tradition and reason. The bible was written by reasoned people who were trying to teach Christian values to an audience that found those values confusing and even threatening. So, they had to convey those values in the context of the period.
And so, as I continued my conversation with the young woman on the plane, I decided that I would form an argument as to why she should read the New Testament. It became clear that she had no love of organized religion. So, I framed my argument not in religious terms, but in humanist terms. As Tom Holland states in his book Dominion, “Two thousand years on from the birth of Christ, it does not require a belief that he rose from the dead to be stamped by the formidable – indeed the inescapable – influence of Christianity…So impactful has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view.” In other words, the values that seem so ubiquitous in our society today may not have become so without Christianity, the greatest story ever told. So, Tom Holland would argue that people who call themselves “humanists” today are really Christians because they believe is the same values that are conveyed in the Gospels of the New Testament. And without the New Testament, who knows if those values would have developed.
So, I recommended two books – both of which have changed my life – “The Road Less Traveled” and the New Testament. The New Testament may be the best self-help book ever written – with a central theme of accepting and loving ourselves despite our imperfections. By accepting and loving yourself, you can accept and love others. I told her not to read it as a religious text, but as a text rich in metaphors to illustrate how to become a better person. If she would be willing read it in that context, she would find it very relevant to her life.
It was then that our plane touched down. She had not noticed that we were descending. As we got off the plane she thanked me for helping her get through the flight. A week later I received a letter. Somehow, the young woman had found my home address. The note inside was short. She thanked me for the conversation, the book recommendations, and my kindness. I never saw her or heard from her again.
My only regret from that conversation on the plane is that I did not convey how important it is to read and study the bible with others. At the time I was not in a bible study. It would be years before I would understand the importance of community. As verse 20 in the 18th chapter of Matthew states, “For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.” Something happens when we study the bible together. Bible Study is where magic happens. It is the place where the bible can come alive. That young woman may have taken my advice. But I wonder if the New Testament spoke to her. I now believe that it is through Christian fellowship that we come to understand the word. And it is being in community, especially an imperfect Christian Community, that we become better people. And that is the one vital thing that attending church and belonging to a congregation can provide – fellowship – an opportunity to become a better person by being with others who are also trying to become better people.
