Energion author Steve Kindle talks about the value of various historical-critical disciplines in Bible study. Participatory Bible study calls for incorporating a variety of approaches to one’s Bible study and to celebrate having diverse study groups that will differ on their approaches.
Learn more through this podcast at Faith on the Edge.
One of the key elements of participatory Bible study is that everyone participates in the study, and everybody participates in living that study. The approach is intended to draw more people into action in your church or community and to help them continue to learn new things. Repetitive Too much Christian education is a repetitive…
The participatory study method emphasizes listening to different voices and viewpoints as you study scripture. By comparing what others see and hear, we are better able to test our own ideas and broaden our understanding of the text. Accurate comparison, however, requires looking for both differences and similarities. If we only list differences, we see…
A 6-Session Participatory Journey through the Ash Heap This guide is designed to be used with the books With Friends Like These …: Job’s Friends and Religious Foolishness by Dr. Larry Dixon and Finding God in Suffering: A Journey with Job by Dr. Bruce Epperly, which have different perspectives, but some converging conclusions about ministry…
What’s This About? If you’re passionate about personal Bible study, you likely already recognize that observing the text accurately—pulling out the true meaning, or exegesis—is paramount. But how often do you find yourself feeling bogged down in Leviticus, or unsure how a particular verse relates to the vast, glorious sweep of God’s plan? We believe…
For students of the Bible seeking a richer, more personal engagement with scripture, Bruce G. Epperly’s The God of the Growing Edge: Whitehead and Thurman on Theology, Spirituality, and Social Change offers valuable insights into transformative spiritual practices. The following extract, detailing one of the book’s spiritual exercises, introduces Lectio Divina, or “holy reading,” a…
When we approach the Bible, it’s easy to treat it purely as an intellectual exercise, reading chapter after chapter to acquire knowledge. But how important are prayer and meditation in truly studying and absorbing the scriptures? According to Donna Marie Ennis in her book The Ground of God, prayer and meditation are absolutely essential. They…
