the power of a good story . . . literature that matters . . .
stories that help us think about our lives. . .
stories worth talking about
It’s no wonder most adults struggle to find biblical narratives relevant to their contemporary lives. Those who learned biblical stories as children often are stuck with picture-book images: a little boy named David aiming his slingshot at a fee-fi-fo-fum giant and a guy named Jonah crouching in the belly of a whale, looking suspiciously like Gepetto from Disney’s Pinocchio.
Those who didn’t grow up with systematic religious education face other issues. They’d like to know something about the Bible but aren’t willing to go to a church or synagogue to do so. They want to approach the text on their own terms, without having to accept the doctrines of a particular religious body.
This project helps readers from differing backgrounds engage the Bible as grown-ups: showing them how to read carefully, pointing out the human dynamics of the text, and providing questions that invite discussion about the dynamics of the stories and the realities of people's lives.
It is designed to be used in multiple ways:
For those in churches, synagogues, and other varieties of religious settings, it offers a way of approaching the Bible not as rules from on high but as literature that engages questions about human experience. If you're already in a church or synagogue group that reads novels or nonfiction, this will be a way to have similar discussions about the biblical text itself. If your group has been studying the Bible as bite-sized lessons, the project will invite you to experience more of what the Bible has to offer.
For those within book clubs and reading groups, it offers a user-friendly guide to reading the Bible in a serious but non-confessional way. It applies familiar book club questions to the Bible (your reactions to characters, noticing the author’s techniques), letting you learn some biblical stories and helping you approach the Bible like you do other reading. It also offers the chance to talk with others about questions of meaning and value in a way that doesn’t presuppose any particular religious stance--a rare opportunity for many of us.
The project is designed to be used in groups, with discussion questions meant to evoke multiple points of view. But individual readers will find the questions helpful for personal reflection and journaling.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
I agree completely. Although I'm probably on the other side of the debate in regard to "word of God" aspect of the Bible, I still believe much valuable insight into human relationships can be gained from a study of it's pages.
Take the encounter between God, Cain and Abel for example. This passage, of little more than a dozen verses, has some profound things to say. In particular God's response to Cain's pouting disappointment:
So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
-- Genesis 4:6,7 NKJV
God, in this scenario, could just as well be the parents in a family where one son meets expectations and another doesn't, or a teacher in a classroom where one student meets expectations and another doesn't, or any number of analogous situations. The point being made is this: falling short of expectation can lead to resentment, and resentment can lead to anger, and anger can lead to sin (disastrous consequences). Sin is pictured as a beast crouching at the door, waiting to pounce. In other words, disaster is the 'inevitable' consequence of stepping on the slippery slope of resentment.
It would be easy to write a book on what is contained in this one small passage.
Cheers,
Bob Hart