Methods and approaches to Biblical literacy

To describe Biblical literacy, Rev. James Estes states, “Literacy is the word we use when we imagine the Bible as a thing, but the goal of becoming Biblically literate is to know, love, serve, and obey the God of the Bible.” James points out that the Bible is “unlike any other book,” and it “deserves a special approach.” The Bible is how we come to know God in relationship, and therefore, “literacy isn't quite the right word…Would a husband or wife say they are ‘literate’ in their knowledge of one another?

“The goal of becoming Biblically literate is to know, love, serve, and obey the God of the Bible.”
– Rev. James Estes

“The word we need is something relational; maybe intimacy, or understanding, or maybe even love.”

As a witness to God, the Bible offers knowledge of God. But understanding the Bible is as much about love as it is about literacy. This approach pertains to transformation and regeneration in Christ as well as knowledge and familiarity with the Biblical story. This practice of Biblical literacy and love has shaped the lives of First Presbyterian Church members Denise Rounds and Phil Cromer.

Denise Rounds leads a Precepts Bible Study at First Church, and in addition to a love of reading scripture, she has a love of learning in a variety of challenging fields. When her son was learning computer keyboarding, she decided to learn it as well. As she strengthened her appreciation of tea, she used her new computer skills to create one of the first group blogs on the internet that is devoted to the subject. Denise’s tea blog offered people around the globe a place to learn about tea, its varieties, and where to find them. By supporting her son’s education and expanding her own knowledge of tea, she aimed to learn with others and share this passion with them. Similarly, Rev. James says to “start with love” in order to understand the Bible. Beyond her approach to keyboarding and tea appreciation, Denise has developed her Biblical literacy by sharing effective methods and “seeking to understand God’s heart.”

Denise has read the Bible through 37 times in 35 years by reading 15 to 20 minutes a day. While reading the Bible continuously, she also studies one book in particular. “I always see new things,” she said, “and there is always more to learn. You can never fathom the depths.”

By reading scripture, Denise is inspired to ask more about people, what has happened to them, and how to care for them. She said, “Reading scripture encourages you to speak into the faith of other people if it is possible to have any influence.”

Denise uses various study aids, including a Bible concordance, dictionary, commentaries, the Logos Bible study platform, and the Precept Bible study method. In her Precept study, Denise teaches marking passages to “visually see the main idea,” which, with repetition, helps her memorize passages effortlessly.

“Reading scripture softens the heart toward God, toward the world, and changes how you look at people.”
– Denise Rounds

Denise, an Elder and a Discipleship Committee member, believes in the importance of “bringing people, including children, together for face-to-face conversations grounded in the Word to discuss the Word.” For her, Biblical literacy grows through these interactions and “gives us a heart for people.” Rev. James adds that this approach helps us “listen more attentively to understand and serve and labor with that beloved one.”

Denise believes Biblical literacy is developed in conversation with others and by applying what we learn about God in relationship with others: “You don’t learn what you’re told, you learn what you do.”

Phil Cromer’s first time hearing the phrase “Biblical literacy” was in one of Dr. Jim Miller’s Wednesday night pre-retirement talks, in which he raised the issue as one of both concern and promise for the future of the Church.

Describing First Church service Phil said, “This church is a Bible-based, Bible-teaching church.” And since he began attending, he has begun “really to learn the Bible, its complexity, literary quality, and truths.” Previously, Phil appreciated many aspects of churches he attended, “yet little was really focused on scripture, teaching or application, or relating experiences through storytelling back to scripture.” And as a result, he “didn’t hear the Word meaningfully.”

Phil appreciates how the worship at First Church is well-coordinated and thoughtful: “The music supports the message. The sermon is supported by scripture. Prayers support the message.”

Sunday schools at First Church are also Bible-centered, Bible-teaching, and offer great fellowship. While fellowship is an important part of developing Biblical literacy, Rev. James points out, “In the final analysis, intimate knowledge is direct and unmediated. [Another] cannot do the work of love for someone else. Loving the God of the Bible…has to be done, eventually, for yourself.”

Prior to attending First Church, Phil tried knowing the God of the Bible, reading apologetic commentaries to see the evidence in the gospel for the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. He had started believing, “in his head at least.” However, it was his focus on developing Biblical literacy that extended his faith from head to heart.

Phil affirms that Biblical literacy goes beyond reading the Bible and familiarity with its stories. He attempted completing a program to read it in a year that included disjointed pairings of Old and New testament readings and that lacked the book of Nahum. He felt like he failed although he had read the Bible through: “I needed the threads connecting the Old Testament God with Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.” This led to his unique approach to reading the Bible. He starts with Genesis, reading Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation first, then rereads it. “The initial goal is to understand what is being said,” Phil explains. Next, he reads the NIV for a traditional version, followed by all the footnotes in a study version, and then compares the versions. Phil plans to read through the entire Bible this way. His method resembles the practice of “lectio continua,” endorsed by John Calvin and described by Rev. James as “reading through a text line by line, verse by verse in a spirit of humility.”

“We can read Bible text and ask: What did this text mean to the first people who read it? What is the author trying to communicate? How do I feel God is speaking to me through this text today?”

Phil elaborates, “Jesus was a radical, and he taught in parables, in what people could understand. He was very tactile in his parables. He taught to a people that relied on agriculture.” Jesus taught this way so that the Word could enter people’s hearts and so they could live by it.

“For me, the question of believing through evidence has turned into believing through faith.”
– Phil Cromer

Understanding scripture, Rev. Estes states, “means knowing the Bible in such a way that the author becomes known to the reader. We do not often get to read a book with the author right there with us at the time we are reading it. But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that is just what can happen when we read the Bible.”

The scriptures’ transformative power is centering love in our lives, and we come to this understanding through Christ: “I suggest that everyone start with Jesus. If you have never picked up a Bible before, start with Jesus. All of the Hebrew scriptures anticipate Him, and all of the Greek scriptures tell us how Jesus has changed everything. So start with Jesus. He is the light by which we can begin to see anything else.”

Practical tips to let Scripture transform you