One of the most mysterious and maddening things about being part of any congregation in the Christian community is that there are so many different approaches to life and learning that it is hard to provide things that will meet everyone's needs (both felt and actual). What one person or one group of people respond to is totally different than what resonates with another.
Sitting through the first sessions of the Eat This Book group discussions I have been reminded that far too many of us do not realize all the ways in which 'Bible Study' occurs. A perfect example of this came in two separate conversations I have had over the past 24 hours concerning those who have and who have not chosen to participate in these groups. The gist of the conversation came down to me hearing that there is sentiment among some that when 'a real Bible study' or a Bible study where we just 'go through the book' is offered, then some others will check it out. It was slightly amusing because of reaction I have gotten from some of the participants in the current groups that they did not realize just how much the Bible is used as a basis for the study we are in, and how it is indeed the cornerstone for what we are studying, even though it is not a 'straight Bible study' where we just 'sit down with the text.'
I must tell you after ruminating long and hard about this that I have been sorely tempted to offer a 'straight' Bible study wherein I would purchase for the participants a Bible with no notes, no study guides, no maps, no nothing, and get down to a straight 'reading of the text' and the group chewing on it for an hour or so. But then it hit me - what happens when I come to those parts in Paul's writings where women are told to go home and wait for your husbands to explain it all to you? Do we then excuse the women from the study? After all, it's right there in the text, correct? What about the parts in the Old Testament where people get stoned for stuff that we wink at today? These are things to think about that help us realize that even the most 'straight' of Bible studies rely on extra-Biblical materials to help us get a better hold on what is happening in the text.
However, it might be good for those of us who do not have a bent towards what we would see as 'Bible study' to have a more traditional Bible study. So, beginning on Thursday, October 11 @ 5:30PM, we will have "TBS" (Thursday Bible Study) that will be a more 'direct' study of specific portions of the Bible. The first section of the study will last 8 weeks and cover the 'Prison Letters' (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, & Philemon). Designed more for those who are not already in one of the other study groups and those of you who desire 'straight' studies, all of you are encouraged and welcomed to be a part of this journey through some of Paul's more unique writings.
See you Sunday!
Lamar
Sitting through the first sessions of the Eat This Book group discussions I have been reminded that far too many of us do not realize all the ways in which 'Bible Study' occurs. A perfect example of this came in two separate conversations I have had over the past 24 hours concerning those who have and who have not chosen to participate in these groups. The gist of the conversation came down to me hearing that there is sentiment among some that when 'a real Bible study' or a Bible study where we just 'go through the book' is offered, then some others will check it out. It was slightly amusing because of reaction I have gotten from some of the participants in the current groups that they did not realize just how much the Bible is used as a basis for the study we are in, and how it is indeed the cornerstone for what we are studying, even though it is not a 'straight Bible study' where we just 'sit down with the text.'
I must tell you after ruminating long and hard about this that I have been sorely tempted to offer a 'straight' Bible study wherein I would purchase for the participants a Bible with no notes, no study guides, no maps, no nothing, and get down to a straight 'reading of the text' and the group chewing on it for an hour or so. But then it hit me - what happens when I come to those parts in Paul's writings where women are told to go home and wait for your husbands to explain it all to you? Do we then excuse the women from the study? After all, it's right there in the text, correct? What about the parts in the Old Testament where people get stoned for stuff that we wink at today? These are things to think about that help us realize that even the most 'straight' of Bible studies rely on extra-Biblical materials to help us get a better hold on what is happening in the text.
However, it might be good for those of us who do not have a bent towards what we would see as 'Bible study' to have a more traditional Bible study. So, beginning on Thursday, October 11 @ 5:30PM, we will have "TBS" (Thursday Bible Study) that will be a more 'direct' study of specific portions of the Bible. The first section of the study will last 8 weeks and cover the 'Prison Letters' (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, & Philemon). Designed more for those who are not already in one of the other study groups and those of you who desire 'straight' studies, all of you are encouraged and welcomed to be a part of this journey through some of Paul's more unique writings.
See you Sunday!
Lamar
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