How Readest Thou?

[Pastor Trevor Ducreay]

A few of the recent discussions on BPN set me thinking. There is the person who believes he has discovered the Holy Grail of Biblical scholarship with a copy and paste list of what he thinks are the proper names and titles of God. Then there is the discussion on the necessity or sufficiency of academic preparation for the ministry.

In all this one thing becomes clear: inadequately prepared or untrained individuals usually are the most pontifical in their disputations. They seek to settle all discussion by either the forcefulness of their reply or their claim to some special "anointing," that supposedly gives them insight inaccessible to others.

I have little doubt that most of these self taught preachers are sincere. I see evidence that they are much read, if not well read. Their zeal is consummate. The problem with all these self-taught practitioners, however, is that they misunderstand a fundamental tenet of learning: It's not how much you consume but how much you absorb and assimilate.

The benefits of studying under academically trained and experienced teachers in an environment conducive to learning is that you not only learn how to rattle out answers to questions that no one is asking, but you learn to ask the right questions in the first place. Great teachers help you to think and make decisions about focusing your mental energies (absorbing and assimilating). Learning also helps you to admit when you don't know or don't know enough.

Two wonderful stories in the Second Testament are apropos to this discussion. The first in Luke 10 involves Jesus and the man we call the rich young ruler (Luke calls him a lawyer--ie a supposed expert in the Torah). Jesus challenged him with a question in vs 26: "What is in the law? How readest thou?" How we read/learn is important. Not just how much but how, the manner, and that requires being properly taught by the right teachers.

Picking up Strong's, Vine's, K&D or JFB or some other resource or copying and pasting from some book or internet site is not proof of learning. You still require the tools to know how to analyze, filter and synthesize and those require being properly taught.

The second story involves Philip and the Eunuch in Acts 8. The eunuch was an important official, obviously educated and zealous about spiritual things. The Holy Spirit still decided that he needed to be taught by someone experienced and skilled in handling the Word-Philip.

Philip's question to the eunuch who was reading Isaiah: "Do you understand what you are reading?"

(It is not by coincidence that Luke is behind both accounts. Luke is the only synoptic Gospel that includes that exchange about the manner of reading the law. Considering Luke's exposure to higher education (albeit "worldly education") it may not be surprizing. )

Copyright 2009 Trevor Ducreay

[Ebony moore]

Pastor McGregor have a very strong point.

[Ebony moore]

Very well said...there is nothing more to add.
My sentiments. Exactly.

[Micah RaSun-Vann]

Truth that is not open to question is not truth. It must be allowed to stand the test of questioning in order to prove that it is truth or through the process of discussing and reasoning the one is error is able to come to the truth or be won over through irrefutable reasoning. - Ravi Zachariah

[Pastor Z. M. D. McGregor]

Excellent post, the Holy Grail line is right on the money! Did you see his resources in his pics? The Guinness book of world records!?! What? lol!

What bible scholar do you know or what professor have you taken who's recommended bibliography was the Guinness book of world records? I think he has been incarcerated and just recently got out; all jokes aside. His logic sounds like that kind of stuff guys pick up when they're locked up.

[Pastor Trevor Ducreay]

I am indebted to "Baptist Pillar" for the following (citation follows)
How Readest Thou?"

It is one thing to read the Bible through,
Another thing to read to learn and do.
Some read it with design to learn to read,
But to the subject pay but little heed.
Some read it as their duty once a week,
But no instruction from the Bible seek;
While others read it with but little care,
With no regard to how they read, nor where.
Some read it as a history, to know
How people lived three thousand years ago.
Some read to bring themselves into repute,
By showing other how they can dispute;
While others read because their neighbours do,
To see how long ‘twill take to read it through.
Some read it for the wonders that are there,
How David killed a lion and a bear;
While others read it with uncommon care.
Hoping to find some contradictions there!
Some read as though it did not speak to them,
But to the people at Jerusalem.
One reads it as a book of mysteries,
And won’t believe the very thing he sees.
One reads with father’s specs upon his head,
And sees the thing just as his father said.
Some read to prove a pre-adopted creed,
Hence understand but little that they read;
For every passage in the book they bend,
To make it suit that all-important end!
Some people read, as I have often thought,
To teach the book instead of being taught,
And some there are who read it out of spite
I fear there are but few who read it right.
So many people in these latter days,
Have read the Bible in so many ways
That few can tell which system is the best,
For every party contradicts the rest!
But read it prayerfully, and you will see,
Although men contradict, God’s words agree.
For what the early Bible prophets wrote,
We find that Christ and his apostles quote:
So trust no creed that trembles to recall
What has been penned by one and verified by all.

[Source: http://www.baptistpillar.com/bd0057.htm, retrieved May 29, 11:01 pm]