Why the Bookshelf?

I was not always part of the United Methodist Church. As a child and young adult I attended a Southern Baptist church with my parents. There were many good things about this church, though honestly I wasn't very interested at the time. But there were some disturbing things as well.

One of the wonderful things about the Southern Baptist church is its insistence on the centrality of scripture. 'Sola Scriptura' was the battle cry. Only scripture. Everything taught or preached had to be grounded directly in scripture, or it held little weight for the community.

Unfortunately, this sort of emphasis on scripture was also one of the disturbing parts of the church as well. This position did not just elevate scripture, but denigrated all other writing and knowledge. In fact, other writings, like Philosphy, or History of Religions, or Science, or even Sociology, were to be avoided for fear that they were evil, the 'wisdom of man,' and would somehow lead faithful christians away from God. Scripture and scripture alone, read objectively (or at least as interpreted by the preacher) was the only safe route.

Of course, the simple fact is that none of us living in the 21st century can just 'read scripture' objectively. We all bring to scrpiture (as we do with all texts) something of ourselves. We have presuppositions, pre- understandings if you will. These presuppositions form something of a lens through which we read and interpret. So when I go to the bible, whether I realize it or not, I bring a 21st century, post enlightenment, postmodern, white, male, European lens that has been shaped by thinkers like Sigmond Freud, Immanual Kant, and Frederick Nitzsche, not to mention the more immediate influences on my life, like teachers, pastors, and parents. I may not realize it, but my entire worldview has been shaped by my experiences, and I bring this to the text everytime I pick it up, which more often than not creates distortion. How do I know this is the case? Well, here is a good test. If everytime I go to scripture, I find exactly what I expect to find... I might better worry.

And this is why it is important to read other books than scripture. Our holy texts were written over thousands of years, probably beginnig 3000- 4000 years ago. The people that wrote these texts understood the world very differently. If I only bring my unchallenged 21st century worldview, then it is very unlikely that I will fully grasp the meanng of the text. How am I to understand what a Jewish peasant living during the time of first century Judaism, under oppression of the Roman government, was trying to convey if I know nothing of first century Judaism? How am I to rightly understand scripture if I don't know what terms like 'Son of God' and 'Messiah' and 'Kingdom of God' (all concepts central to the Gospels) meant when they were written? It would be like expecting a first century Jew to understand my meaning if I said, "The Bulls really have the Market right now." I expect his expression would be confused at best.

I am not trying to reduce the significance of scripture. Far from it. In fact, I am suggesting that scripture is far more valuable and worthy of our attention than is often thought. It is worth it to read history, to try and understand the cultural situation in which the authors of scripture lived and breathed. It is worth it to read books on Philosophy, if for no reason other than discover who we are, and understand what we unconsciously bring to the scriptural texts. Read Nitzsche, or Heidegger and you may be surprised to discover where many of the ideas you take for granted originated. Read Sociology and Psychology to better understand humanity. Read Theology to understand how Christian leaders have understood God through the ages. Read all these things, not in place of scripture, but to better understand scripture, and to be more open to the work of God's Spirit.

John Wesley used to say that he was a man of one book, that book being the Bible of course. And yet, his library revealed the truth behind that phrase. Wesley read constantly, devouring books that he believed would help him in his understanding. He quoted books frequently in his journals and writings, and instisted that Methodist preachers read as he did. So read, and do not be afraid, for all truth is God's truth, and God honors those who seek Him. Be aware of your own preconceptions, the lens through which you interpret what you read. And let us all honor our sacred scriptures by struggling to hear what God wishes to speak through them.