Our co-host Glenn Paauw returns to the podcast to share about the unexpected tragedy that rocked him and his family this summer, and how it has brought him back to the lament passages of Scripture.
The Bible is full of hard stories and unjust endings. And while we live in the “already” of Christ’s victory, we have to make room for the “not yet.”
We’re excited to announce the launch of Reading and Living the Bible Well, our first online course produced in partnership with Seminary Now. Take a look at the trailer here:
Reading and Living the Bible Well - Seminary Now Trailer
The nine-part video course is taught by Glenn Paauw, our Senior Director of Content, and it’s based on his book Saving the Bible From Ourselves. Here’s the course outline:
Session 1: Embarking Session 2: Complicated or Elegant? Session 3: Snacking or Feasting? Session 4: Magic or History? Session 5: Snippets or Story? Session 6: Escape or Renew? Session 7: Alone or Together? Session 8: Dismal or Splendid? Session 9: Return
Reading and Living the Bible Well is one among many courses offered by Seminary Now, including courses by Scot McKnight, John Walton, Tish Harrison Warren, Esau McCaulley, and more.
Every Seminary Now subscription gives you full access to the entire catalog of courses, and every signup comes with a 7-day free trial. If you want to be introduced to a fresh new paradigm for engaging Scripture for all it’s worth, check out Reading and Living the Bible Wellon Seminary Now. Enter coupon code IFBR at checkout for 20% off your subscription!
https://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/GPaauw_Course_Featured.jpg472800Alex Goodwinhttps://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IFBRPaddingLogo-400x189.pngAlex Goodwin2021-09-10 12:16:092021-09-10 12:16:13Reading and Living the Bible Well: Our New Course with Seminary Now
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the Museum of the Bible, which opens on November 17 in the heart of Washington, DC. The 430,000-square-foot space three blocks south of the Capitol building will be a sight to behold, boasting technological spectacles like a 140-foot overhead LED screen, a performing arts theater with 17 4K resolution projectors, handheld touchscreen “digital docents,” augmented reality games for kids, and more.
The 140-ft LED ceiling displays 5 different scenes (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)
Christianity Today’s November cover story is on the forthcoming opening of the museum, so they reached out to us and hosted Glenn Paauw on their “Quick to Listen” podcast with assistant editor Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen. They unpack what it means to have a Museum of the Bible, what it means to engage the Bible, and what role our experiences with the Bible play in our understanding of God’s Word.
Check out Glenn’s interview with CT and let us know what you think.
https://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Glenn-Paauw-CT.jpg472800Alex Goodwinhttps://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IFBRPaddingLogo-400x189.pngAlex Goodwin2017-10-30 16:56:072019-04-18 11:25:48Our Interview with Christianity Today on the Museum of the Bible
The Institute for Bible Reading recently joined Bible Gateway for a Facebook Live series titled Feasting on the Scriptures. Each of the four episodes gives practical advice on the steps to take toward “reading big” on the path to great Bible engagement.
If you didn’t catch these episodes on Facebook Live, you can watch them all right here. To get notified of future Facebook Live events, make sure you Like and Follow the Institute for Bible Reading and Bible Gateway on Facebook.
Episode 1: Reading Whole Books
The natural building blocks of the Bible are whole books which are meant to be engaged as complete works. Learn about why reading whole books is the first and most important thing to do with the Bible:
Episode 2: Reading the Bible as a Story
Not every book of the Bible is a story, but every book does contribute in its own way to the grand narrative of the Scriptures. Find out how that works:
Episode 3: Reading the Bible with Jesus at the Center
Every book of the Bible, whether First Testament or New Testament, should be read through the “Jesus Lens.” What does that mean? Glenn Paauw explains:
Episode 4: Reading the Bible Together
The Bible is meant to be a community formation book. While private devotions and quiet times are valuable, Paul Caminiti explains that they can’t be a substitute for communal engagement and discussion:
Prequel: Bible Reading Is Broken and It’s Not Your Fault
https://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/GPaauw-FB-Live.jpg472800Alex Goodwinhttps://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IFBRPaddingLogo-400x189.pngAlex Goodwin2017-04-19 06:03:092019-11-12 10:05:23Watch All 4 Episodes of Feasting on the Scriptures
I have only recently understood the difference between “literacy” and “fluency” when it comes to the Bible.
Like most, I grew up with reference Bibles that were formatted for study, but not necessarily for reading. Like any good reference work (think dictionary, encyclopedia, textbook), the chapters, verses, subheadings, footnotes, cross-references, and other well-meaning additives were designed to make it easier to “reference” content. But it turns out they were also barriers to simply reading and losing myself in the story. There wasn’t a clear invitation to just read, to read unencumbered, to read for distance, or even to read for enjoyment. And as such, it was more difficult to find myself in the story.
In fact, most of my life with the Bible has been constrained by that reference format, leading to the inevitable outcome of lots of study, mastering propositions and doctrine, sword drills around individual verses, ensuring a clear “world view” and so on. Per the definition of literacy, I would say I am actually pretty “literate” when it comes to the Bible. I developed a certain level of competence or knowledge about the Bible, including memorizing lots of verses. And I did it through diligent, personal quiet times.
But when it comes to “fluency” with the Bible—which is defined as “the ability to express oneself readily, effortlessly, and articulately”— I don’t feel nearly as confident. An educator referencing the 21st Century Fluency Project describes the difference between literacy and fluency this way: “To be literate means to have knowledge or competence. To be fluent is something a little more, it is to demonstrate mastery and to do so unconsciously and smoothly.”
When it comes to the Bible, I am not nearly as fluent as I am literate. And the data seems to indicate I am not alone! Being able to confidently relay the complete story of the Bible, to delineate the different types of literature that combine to form our canon, to easily recognize historical context and linkages between the major sections of the Bible is very different from being literate about the Bible. Glenn Paauw in his new book, Saving the Bible from Ourselves, (InterVarsity Press, May 2016) talks about the Bible as drama and describes what I mean by fluency this way: “to become so immersed in the script of (all) the acts of the Bible that we come to know this story in our bones.” He goes on to say, “We have virtually no chance of playing our parts well if we don’t really know how the full story goes.” I am not nearly as confident in my ability to accurately tell the complete story of the Bible, with all its majesty, mystery and nuance. Are you? Literacy is different than fluency. I’m convinced that to read the Bible well, I need to leverage literacy with greater fluency.
The first Reformation ushered in mass access to what we now know as “reference Bibles.” Perhaps on the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 Theses next October, God’s Spirit will usher in a renewed reformation of deeper Bible absorption via mass use of “reading Bibles” as communities gather in conversations around the Text. Perhaps we can build on whatever level of literacy we have by deepening our fluency with God’s amazing creation and restoration story.
https://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Crop.jpg5901000Scott Bolinderhttps://instituteforbiblereading.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IFBRPaddingLogo-400x189.pngScott Bolinder2016-10-14 12:16:572018-08-22 12:12:20Is Bible Literacy The Right Goal?
