Approaching the Bible for questions
One of my biggest challenges as a minister of the gospel is the requests I often receive to, effectively, "close the book" on a difficult Bible question or passage. We Christians naturally want to dip into the Bible to give us quick, easy answers to our own questions rather than to submerge ourselves in the Word to learn what questions God wants us to ask. I agree with Adam Ellis when he says Christian leaders ought to be helping our members ask better questions:
Update: Swap Blog offers more thoughts on the subject.
I'm suggesting that we teach people to approach the Bible looking not just for answers, but for questions as well. It seems to me that the Bible wasn't intended to give easy answers. Rather, it seems to beg questions...questions that make you think. Scripture seems to want to be digested slowly. Instead of instant comfort it seems to want to stir troubling questions...questions that take time to process...questions that change you at the core of your beingAmen.
Update: Swap Blog offers more thoughts on the subject.
posted by Milton Stanley at 7:14 AM
8 Comments:
I remember going off to college thinking I would settle the religious issues of my youth. Of course, I graduated with a myriad of more questions.
Through it all, my faith has grown. I have no complaints. I am actually learning to like mystery.
In one of the Bible studies I lead, we have a time when people are supposed to ask questions of the Bible passage, but we don't answer the questions. It's meant to get people to just look at what's in the text. I'm surprised at how few questions there are. Is it that we know it all (hardly)? Is it that we are used to being spoon-fed the answers from the experts, so that we don't know how to think?
Thanks for the link. I might just print it out for the group, to encourage them to ask more questions!
Glad to hear it, Jason. Peace.
Hope Adam's post is helpful to your group, Wayne.
I kind of fear the day I stop asking questions; the day I cease being teachable and changable... cuz I see a lot of people around me who, apparently, have learned all there is to learn - and they kind of suck at being Christians...
Very challenging post. Linked to this entry in my blog tonight as I worked through it.
Yes, when we think we know it all is when we start sinking. Peace.
Glad you found something helpful here, Russ. Peace.
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