Before you engage a text, you really need to ask yourself if you’re game to study, or if you just want to read on a devotional level. When we read devotionally, we don’t think as critically while we read – it’s more of an in the moment, spiritual kind of thing. There’s nothing wrong with this ancient practice, known as Lectio Divina. In fact, it’s the core of daily devotions. But this kind of approach, especially for more complex topics or passages, just isn’t helpful, and can even be destructive, especially where people are involved. Poor scholarship has made women second-class citizens and kept entire races of people in the chains of slavery. Devotional reading is great, but to experience more of what the Bible has to offer requires some thoughtful prayerful work. That’s what this very brief guide is for.
Before you read a text, take a deep breath, relax, and pray, seeking to be present to God’s presence as you engage the text – the Spirit guides, but guides can’t guide much if the followers aren’t following, or even looking in the guide’s direction!
As you read a text, be aware of the most basic journalism questions: who, what when, where and why? Understanding the most basic context sheds immediate light on the text. What genre is the passage – poetry, history, prophetic words, instruction letter, etc.? What words and phrases need greater clarification? Don’t be afraid to dirty up your Bible with notes and highlights – God will not be offended. In fact, a well-worn Bible would only be a sign of devotion, not disrespect!
Before you consult an outside source for deeper insight, answer some basic questions yourself: what might have been the author’s purpose in writing this particular passage? Who was the audience of the writing, and what difference does that make? How is the author’s worldview different than yours? Does it make a difference regarding the meaning of the text? It is tempting to jump quickly to outside sources, but be patient. Learning to think for yourself by using these questions (and more) will help you dialogue with the outside sources instead of simply adopting their position.
As you consult a study Bible, web sources and commentaries, keep the following in mind. Everybody is biased. Realizing this ahead of time will help you appreciate the vantage point of the source you’re using, and you can mentally dialogue with them. For written sources, check the publisher. If it’s a conservative Christian publishing house, that theology is going to permeate whatever you read. If it’s a romance novel level of publisher, you can bet that the author struggles to find an audience beyond the fringe to take him or her seriously (this is not necessarily bad, but needs to be taken into consideration). Checking the date and location of the author also informs their analysis. Web content can be wonderful and useless. See who a particular person is quoting a lot and you’ll have a quick idea where they are coming from. By the way, you are also biased which greatly colors your rendering of a text.
After you piece all of this together, put all your information in front of you and begin determining again what you think the author of the biblical text was trying to communicate and to whom. How was their context similar or not to yours, and how does that impact your application of a text to the present day?
This is about as preliminary an approach as you can get, but will get you headed in the right direction. This is where I start every week in preparing to teach, even if I have taught the text many times before over the years. The discipline helps insure that you are remaining open to continual learning, and humble enough for the Spirit to move and shape.
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