School and The Bible

I know… it’s rather pathetic. It has been so long since I’ve bothered writing anything. It’s not that nothing’s been going on; it’s that too much has been going on.

School’s been occupying most of my spare time. I’m working toward another Masters degree, but mostly I just love being in school. It gives me a place to question, to think outside the box without having to worry about people thinking I’m a heretic (or worse… a liberal).

Anyway, I’m right now in the midst of a class on Biblical Theology. It’s been an incredible journey—too much to take in, but enough to whet my appetite to make it a life long pursuit. Of course, that may sound funny coming from a pastor of 11 years. What have I been doing every Sunday if not preaching from the Bible? And I have, backed by hours of study and preparation. But BT takes Bibles study to a deeper level than mere exegesis. It also helps to expose many of the popular myths that have crept into the pews (and pulpits).

You see it’s sad when our theology is formed by the Left Behind series more than actual Biblical facts. It’s tragic when you walk into a Christian book store and you’re inundated by books on how to grasp the American dream and make it yours—all in the name of Christ of course—but when you go looking for serious books on in depth Bibles studies they seem to be missing from the shelves. It’s sad when we’ve allowed proof-texting to become a substituted for the plenary study of Scripture.

Anyway, enough about what’s sad. What’s exciting is that there does seem to be a renewed interest in Biblical literacy. Even though it may be small and inceptional at the moment, it holds great promise.