Alive to the Purpose

the long version

"The Bible is more often studied and searched and scrutinized and analyzed and theologized and memorized and dipped into and skimmed and scanned -- all worthy and important actions -- than it is read, that is really read." When we read the Bible, we often look for the meaning of particular words, which helps us comprehend the passage. Or we read for inspirational concepts to meditate on throughout our day. While both of these methods are important to focused Bible study, if we only ever study and analyze the Bible, then we rob ourselves of the story of Scripture and all that it can bring to our lives. We should also take a "readerly" approach to Bible reading as well as a scholarly approach. How much do we miss when we're not reading with "our attention clenched to a page, captivated by a line of thought, adventuring within a biblical scene or situation we have staged in our minds"? Ron Horton discusses how to read the story of Scripture without an agenda, allowing the text to bring us the richness of the divinely inspired story. - Back cover.