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.
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…
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…
If you have never thought of characters having shapes, such as triangles, polygons, or circles, read on! This Bible study strategy is based on Dr. Dolly Berthelot’s SELFSHAPES™. More on that below. Studying Bible stories is, at root, very much like studying other stories. Christians reading scripture have the additional sense that what they are…
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…
Many people use word studies in Bible study, but there are many pitfalls in the process, especially if you don’t know the original languages. The key is context. Always look at a word in its context. Don’t try to force the results of a word study on the particular passage you’re reading. This video by…
