Unleash the Bible
We become a people transformed when we’re rooted in Scripture.
We are all formed by particular times and places. For many of us in North America that means we are saturated by a consumptive, consumerist culture. It is a formative saturation that relentlessly pushes us toward being entertained and more devastatingly, toward feeling entitled to good entertainment.
There are times when culture collides with our faith, whether we know it or not, and we are left with a discombobulated blending which no longer has its footing. The Bible, continuously discerned in active, dynamic community, is the foundation by which we can “set ourselves apart” and become shalom-pursuing people. Herein lies the heart of both the problem and the hope.
The Bible, the “guidepost of faith” is not going to be a place where we will be entertained. The Bible carries a deeper truth that forms us. More often than not, this is not a form of entertainment. When we mutter words like “you better keep my attention” or “I better enjoy this sermon” while listening to our preachers, teachers and Bible study leaders we have already created a barrier. The intrusive, formative truths of Scripture will fall on deaf souls, much like seeds falling on pavement.
We leash our Bibles. We throw a collar on the thing, pull and tug when we don’t like where it is going, and we walk or run alongside when we enjoy where it is taking us.
We put much of the blame on our preachers, teachers and Bible study leaders when we feel the Bible taking us to a place we do not like. By leashing our bibles, we perpetuate the presence of the consumptive, consumerist culture in our lives both individually and communally.
But if we dare to unleash our bibles, to read and practice what it says, together in community, we become formed as a people participating in a “divine otherness” that is present within our world, yet different than the dominate culture.
Scripture is the solid ground from which we build. We become a people transformed when rooted in Scripture. We become a people pursuing shalom for each our own particular time and particular place, while keeping in mind our global realities.
Unleash the Bible, my friends, and dare to be transformed.
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