the bible

so i'm trying to do the lectio divina - seek some silence, ask god to inspire my thoughts and speak as i read through a passage several times. in the morning before i start work, and then again at night before i kip. i'm going through john's gospel, paragraph by paragraph. and i'm enjoying it.

via maggi dawn's blog, i found this interesting quote about the Evangelical approach to bible study here - http://revlamblove.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/the-evangelical-hermeneutic/

"When approaching a text such a one unconsciously applies the following principles to elicit its meaning.

1. It is about me. Whatever the book, be it Pentateuch, prophets, psalms, gospel or epistle—it is talking about me.

2. It tells me what to do or what not to do. An action is required on my part. My ability to do or not to do what the bible tells me is equal to my goodness or wickedness.

3. It condemns those that are different from me. People who are non-Christian (those who freely admit their lack of faith or worse profess a false faith) or unchristian (people who say they are Christian but demonstrate their lack of salvation by their actions, whether it be thinking premarital sex is not bad or going to an Episcopal church).

4. It implies the opposite. Every pronouncement of grace points to my own condemnation if I fail. Every promise is a threat. Everything that God does, reveals what I must do."

that pretty effectively caricatures the mentality that i was taught or at least thought was 'right' when i became a christian.
and i think it's why i struggle with bible reading now - it's hard to shake.

but i'm enjoying the 'good as new' translation. for a start it has no verses numbered, so it flows better. and it's written in a very provocative way - names are altered to better reflect their original context [eg - peter becomes 'rocky'!] - and sometimes it's infuriating, but it's always thought-provoking, and for me that's good - i'm arguing with the text and thinking about it and questioning it like i've not done before. it's really good stuff.


['tinseltown in the rain' and 'regret' by the blue nile]

si