...And Bring Your Bible

One of my heroes in Christian teaching is John Ortberg, pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California. I admire him and his teaching so much that once Brad Gartman sent me a Valentine card "from John" and pasted it on my office door. I just went back and read that last sentence, and realized I probably shouldn't put things like that in print on the internet. Oh well.

I attended a conference where John Ortberg was teaching about teaching. He remarked that all great Christian teaching, in addition to conveying biblical truth, has the side effect of drawing people into the the Bible to read it and study it themselves. By that definition, most Christian teaching is not great. I wonder how many sermons spark an appetite to go and read the Bible? How many people walk out of church believing more strongly that the Bible is dull, irrelevant, unhelpful or inaccessible? How often do people listen to a "trained professional" (pardon my gag reflex) and walk away thinking, "wow, I never could have figured that out on my own"? Perhaps worst of all, how many times do people not connect the authority of the Bible to the point of the message? If John Ortberg is right--and I think he is--all those results are the wrong ones.

Biblical literacy, both in and out of the church, is at an all-time low in America. The most quoted "Bible verse" in America is, "God helps those who help themselves." The Barna research organization found that 82% of Americans believe this quote from Thomas Jefferson is actually a direct quote from the Bible, even though it directly contradicts the biblical view. The King James Version of the Bible (translated into English in the year 1611) is still the most widely used version of the Bible in our country, even though few can understand the archaic language. Added to this is a curious practice of the contemporary church: in an effort, I suppose, not to stigmatize guests who don't have a Bible, it has become normal for there to be very few Bibles brought to church services or meetings. Instead, texts are printed in a program and/or projected on video screens.

I want to encourage Springs of all ages to start bringing a Bible to church on Sunday as a matter of habit. We will still project texts on the screens for those who don't have a Bible and as a visual aid for all of us--nothing wrong with that. But actually having a Bible in-hand has some distinct benefits. First, it communicates something to all of us collectively; it's a visual statement of the Bible's value at our church. Second, it's a habit-builder. Just opening it and reading it at church is a starting place for opening it and reading it elsewhere, like at home. Third, it will actually help to have the text in front of you throughout the message.

Some people have the Bible on their PDAs or their smart phones--Great! In fact I recommend it. I probably read the Bible online more often than I do on paper these days. Honestly, it's easier for me to print the texts in my message notes than to have a Bible on the platform, but I'll be reading from a Bible on Sunday.

I'll be using the TNIV translation most of the time (Today's New International Version). You're certainly not required to use this one, but if you want to follow along word-for-word with me, that's what I'll be reading. It's available at most bookstores (Mardel has it, but Lifeway does not carry it). The NIV translation is very close to this one and more prevalent. We'll pick up the subject of translations another time, but feel free to shoot any questions my way if you have them.

I'm looking forward to jumping into the Bible with you on Sunday...and if I do my job, throughout the week!