Bible Studies Don't Work

05/14/23 • 12 min

If you’re a church-going Christian, you’ve probably attended a Bible study. Bible studies, the way they are conducted today, don’t work.

We’re comfortable with the common approaches but what do we really learn? We either select a few verses of text & then discuss them or we select a popular topic & then use the Bible as a lens. What does the Bible say about money or faith or forgiveness?

These approaches are not Bible “study,” but rather, Bible manipulation. They turn the Bible into a mirror which we use to understand ourselves.

In today’s episode, Andrea proposes a better way.

If you’re a church-going Christian, you’ve probably attended a Bible study. Bible studies, the way they are conducted today, don’t work.

These approaches are not Bible “study,” but rather, Bible manipulation. They turn the Bible into a mirror which we use to understand ourselves.

In today’s episode, Andrea proposes a better way.

Previous Episode

Lost in Translation - part 4: Errors -- Imposing on the Text

Translators make errors in their translation choices because they impose themselves onto the biblical text.

In today’s episode, the last in this 4-part series on translations of the Bible, Andrea gives specific examples of translation errors. She distinguishes 3 kinds of errors: (1) euphemisms (2) word choices that force the text to make sense to the translator (3) word choices that impose the translator’s assumptions on the text.

Next Episode

Who Do You Think You Are?

We are obsessed with Jesus. He is our hero, our superstar – our divine ideal. We try to follow his example; to imitate him. We not only want to be like him, we want to be him!

In today’s episode, Andrea argues that this obsession is misplaced. It’s a projection of our own desires which we impose on the gospel narratives.

The Jesus that we meet in the New Testament is not to be imitated but to be heard.