Should you be using a Bible commentary?

There are two kinds of Bible students in the world.

There are those who believe the goal of good Bible study is to be able to study and exegete the biblical text apart from the "crutch" of the Bible commentary. Yes, commentaries are good in that they help us fill in the gaps of what we don't know but as we mature in our study skills we should be able to read the Bible without ever consulting an outside opinion. Each individual should strive to become a scholar with the skills necessary to read the text on his or her own.

Then there those who believe that good Bible study cannot possibly be carried out apart from consulting commentaries. Even those students who are skilled in exegesis and the original biblical languages need to bring the commentaries into the discussion at an early stage. This is because the Bible wasn't so much given as the Word of God to individuals but it was given as the Word of God to the Church. Thus Bible study is primarily a community activity -- when we read the Bible we do so in the context of community. Commentaries are then one way in which the extended community of Christ participates in our personal study of the Bible.

I'm of the later opinion. I believe that the first school of thought is a reflection of Western individualism and has manifest itself primarily in one strand of American evangelicalism. While it is well-intended the underlying assumptions about the Bible being the communication link between individuals and God are a little off.

This is not to say that when we as individuals read the Bible we don't hear the Word of God or that we are not individually convicted by it -- but that we best do so within the context of the extended community of God's family.

When we spread our Bibles out on the table there are others sitting in the seats beside us -- some are perhaps hundreds of years old, some are a little bit crazy, some have spent years studying the text we're examining, some are overly wordy, some are to the point, some are from other cultures and bring the outsider's perspective, some focus on minutia, and some are geared toward application. And we're altogether at the table studying together -- listening so that we might hear what the Word has to say. In some sense the goal of Bible study is to facilitate a discussion.

Now, I don't believe that the first approach to Bible study is totally without basis. We do need to become develop the skills of reading the text and seeing what is there without getting totally locked into a particular commentator's perspective.

That is, sometimes when you go down the road with a commentary or a group of commentaries it's hard to see that you missed a turn a mile or two back. So, we need to learn the strengths and weaknesses -- the limits of the commentators. And there will be times when all the commentaries are missing the point. But even then we are forming our understanding within the context of that discussion -- a discussion with the rest of the church.

An experienced Bible student will learn the value of the commentator and how to weigh his or her opinion. That is perhaps a better goal than becoming so good at reading the text on your own that you don't need other opinions. Bible study is primarily a communal activity and a good student will look for ways to assemble the church for a discussion of God's Word.

Random

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Liberation Day

Tomorrow is Liberation Day on Guam -- commemorating the landing of US troops on the island on July 21, 1944 -- marking the beginning of the Battle of Guam -- and the release of the Guamanians from Japanese captivity.

It's the biggest annual party on the island and people are already camped out on Marine Corps Drive in preparation for tomorrow's parade. As we were leaving worship at the Lutheran Church of Guam (also located on Marine Corps Drive) this morning this camper and his carabao were crossing the street in the rain.

Random

• Black gold -- while oil prices are dropping (slightly) Coca-Cola is raising prices ~ Link

• City Vision College, a very unique online school which offers a BA degree in missions, has added an addiction studies track. The college, which is accredited, was originally established to train workers for the inner-city rescue missions. While retaining that original mission they have broadened their focus to developing leaders for those serving in many types of urban ministries. ~ Link

• My copy of the new Orthodox Study Bible arrived while we were traveling. It's a beautiful reference book -- icons, articles, and commentary explaining the Eastern Orthodox perspective, new English translation of the Septuagint (LXX -- Greek version of the Old Testament), excellent maps, and they've added a few icons that were not in the New Testament release of the same Bible. Interestingly, there are not a lot of church father quotations in the notes. ~ Link

• I have a little update on our ministry blog ~ Link

• The grocery store went black this morning while we were shopping. It took about 30 seconds for the generator to kick on -- but then everyone went about their business without missing a beat. We're back on Guam!

• It appears that John McCain is somewhat of a cyber-Luddite. I suppose that if he were elected president he could hire a kid somewhere to do his googling for him. ~ Link

Random

• It's great to be back on Guam!

• 13% of the world's population lacks safe drinking water -- and that is a major improvement. ~ Link

• Quotable: "However, what computer technology gives to religion in terms of speed and broader access, it takes away through lack of physical presence. The sacramentality of the Christian faith, for one, calls us to move away from our keyboards and into the real world. In this world we cannot dismiss those with whom we disagree with the click of a mouse. We are asked to taste and feel and smell the world around us in its elemental richness. We learn what is, not what we wish were. Cyberspace is, in the end, an ambiguous place..." -- Noreen Herzfeld is professor of Theology and Computer Science at St. John's University ~ Link

• Friend Jonathan Wilson has published his first book -- Dear Jon Letters: Tips for Dating and Mating ~ Link

• Puna Congregational Christian Church in Keaau, Hawaii, where friend Bob Thompson is pastor, has updated its website. One of the interesting things that they've done is link to a blog that their music leader writes. She includes a weekly rundown on the music planned for each service -- including audio files so that worshipers can familiarize themselves with the music ahead of time. Creative.

Random

• Carolyn and Armin Reese came to Guam from California to teach a PIBC computer applications class. Carolyn has blogged about the experience and she put together a slideshow that gives a terrific tour of Guam and the campus. ~ Link

• Cheryl made it home safely yesterday. I fly to Guam tomorrow. Pity the poor person who sits next to me on the plane -- I had garlic chicken for dinner tonight and it's already oozing from my pores.

• A few days ago we made flight arrangements for Kent (#2 son) who will be arriving on Guam on August 22nd. He will be a volunteer teacher in our English and remedial program for the fall semester -- and will be living with us. We're quite excited about that.

• 127,292 California high school students dropped out of school last year -- one in four -- far more than originally estimated ~ Link

• Having attractive employees does not necessarily translate into higher profits, according to a new Swedish study ~ Link

Random

• Hi from Honolulu -- Cheryl's plane just landed on Guam but I'm spending a couple of days meeting with PIBC/Hawai'i Theological Seminary related people on O'ahu.

• The Lutheran Church of Guam website has undergone a complete make-over. ~ Link

• Quotable: "Small is a weapon, not an excuse." ~ Link

• I'm behind on answering email -- sorry.

Random

• Andrew Jones chimes in on the short-term missions debate ~ Link

• I've been reading Bob Roberts book Glocalization, which is calling the church to rethink what constitutes missions and who missionaries are -- in light of the flattening of the world. It's a terrific starting point for a needed discussion. This is one of those books which could be great fodder for church leadership groups. Of course, you probably won't want to swallow everything he says hook, line, and sinker. But you'll want to take a good size bite.

• Scott McKnight is blogging through another important work on missional thinking, Christopher Wright’s book The Mission of God. A lot more technical than Roberts -- more foundational. I didn't find it a quick read but it is quickly becoming a classic. ~ Link

• CT checks in on the new Free Church statement. ~ Link

• I think it's going to be a long night -- we're at the LAX Super8 -- very very close to LAX -- right under the landing planes. Ahhhhhhh! Ear plugs please.

Random

• Nearly three out of five middle-class retirees will probably run out of money if they maintain their pre-retirement lifestyles, a new study from Ernst & Young has concluded. ~ Link

Of course, three out of five middle-class non-retirees are not currently maintaining their pre-retirement lifestyles apart from their credit cards.

• Japanese Buddhism appears to be dying out. ~ Link

• Tomorrow is another travel day -- off to LA. Then on Tuesday we fly toward Guam. I'll stop over in Honolulu for a couple of days to meet with a few people but Cheryl will continue on, arriving on Wednesday.