Biblical Ignorance
Over the years I have become aware of the depth of our problem in the US church regarding the high level of Biblical ignorance or illiteracy. Most who would decry this problem would just see it as a spiritual problem, related to lack of commitment to Bible study. I see it differently.
The real issue is a lack of ability to read long and complicated portions of text. It is an intellectual and critical thinking problem, not just a spiritual problem (if that at all). It is a literacy problem, not just a Biblical literacy problem.
The other day I had the BCM students who came to the meeting read through the book of Philippians in one setting. I have a feeling they have never had to do that, or even thought it was an option--to read a whole book of the Bible at one sitting, to see the natural flow of the argument, to not lift a verse or two out of context. Reading, dissecting, and interpreting (and reading as I am talking about it is about interpretation and meaning-making) a long portion is hard enough, and if everything comes prepackaged, online, concise, and visually supplemented, who needs to really engage text.
On top of the inability to be quiet and by themselves individually for a long period of time, what does that do to the human mind?
The real issue is a lack of ability to read long and complicated portions of text. It is an intellectual and critical thinking problem, not just a spiritual problem (if that at all). It is a literacy problem, not just a Biblical literacy problem.
The other day I had the BCM students who came to the meeting read through the book of Philippians in one setting. I have a feeling they have never had to do that, or even thought it was an option--to read a whole book of the Bible at one sitting, to see the natural flow of the argument, to not lift a verse or two out of context. Reading, dissecting, and interpreting (and reading as I am talking about it is about interpretation and meaning-making) a long portion is hard enough, and if everything comes prepackaged, online, concise, and visually supplemented, who needs to really engage text.
On top of the inability to be quiet and by themselves individually for a long period of time, what does that do to the human mind?
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