In the message, “Eating Words,” I’ve suggested that we need to pursue a holistic relationship with the Word of God, the Bible, that would move us beyond recreational and occasional use of the scriptures to filling our “spiritual stomachs” with the content of the Word to build and shape our lives. We’ve coined the descriptor, “Green Crayon Christian,” in reference to my friend Darryl Woolfolk’s green crayon he uses to highlight questions that arise as he reads the Bible.
Green Crayon Christians do the following:
- Read the Word (slowly, carefully, repeatedly)
- Observe the Word (pay close attention to what is actually in the text)
- Ask questions of the Word
- Seek answers
- Apply the Word (do what it says!)
- Spread the Word (so deeply imbibe the truth of scripture that it becomes a part of one’s self and can be shared with others
In his new book,
Glenn Paauw suggests these four things:
- We need to remove the clutter from the Bible: chapter and verse numbers, section headings, cross references, Study Bibles, and non-book-reading page layout and produce a Bible that looks like a book to be read.
- We need to refrain from snacking on the Bible’s versifications and feast on the whole Bible.
- We need to regain the Bible in its historical context as speaking in real time to real people.
- We need to read the Bible book by book to find the Bible’s big story.
- We need to ground the Bible in real earthly life and dispense with the overly otherworldly Bible.
- We need to read the Bible with others and not just by ourselves and for ourselves.
- We need to regain the aesthetic beauty of the Bible as it captures our imagination.
Scott McKnight asks the following question concerning the above:
What do you think we need to do to get more people to engage the Bible’s content? What are the most important hang-ups in Bible reading? Do you think bad methods are why more aren’t reading the Bible?
Feel free to respond via email, text, carrier pigeon, etc., or in the comments section below (“leave a reply”). Let’s keep the discussion going.
See also:
