“Have You Read the Bible?”
It surprised me when I was asked this question. I guess my contributions to our discussions
showed that in actuality I had not. Of course I had read parts – most Christians
have, especially from the New Testament and particular verses from the Old
including Psalms. But really, how many professing Christians have actually read
the whole Bible?
At that time I was reading from many different historical religions
curious about what components of their faith seemed true to me because I was
struggling with belief in my own tradition. So I decided to read all of the Old
and New Testaments – why shouldn't I give my own religion the same evaluative
effort? How could I say for sure what I believed if I had never actually read
the scriptures that form its foundation?
Fortunately I found a year-long
reading plan that worked. It assigned each day of the week a different type of
reading rather than going from page one to the end. So every Monday for example you’d read The Law, every Tuesday, History, Wednesday Psalms, etc. After a while it was
rather like tuning in to your favorite TV schedule anticipating what was going
to happen in the next episode when that day of the week came around again.
When the year came to a close, I was shocked, disappointed and amazed.
When the year came to a close, I was shocked, disappointed and amazed.
