Thinking about Scripture

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a lecture on scripture this week to a group of theology students, beginning with the point,

One of the things that most clearly and universally identifies Christians as Christians is that they habitually read the Bible.

He went on to note that for most of its history, the Bible has been primarily a public document, one encountered through hearing it read. He said,

the Church's public use of the Bible represents the Church as defined in some important way by listening: the community when it comes together doesn't only break bread and reflect together and intercede, it silences itself to hear something. It represents itself in that moment as a community existing in response to a word of summons or invitation, to an act of communication that requires to be heard and answered.

Interesting. We are primarily a community who gathers to hear. And what we gather to hear is God speaking to us in a fresh way through the scripture read in our midst. Not new thoughts, but interesting to put together. I feel worship is our primary purpose to come together and still think so, but in our worship we primarily listen.

The archbishop said, "all this is essentially about seeing Scripture as the vehicle of God's act to bring about conversion." He made 6 key points:

1. Scripture is something through which the community affirms its identity and seeks its renewal;


2. we need to develop the skills needed to avoid the misuse of texts by abstracting them from the questions they actually put;


3. thus also, the discernment of what are the changes a reading sets out and proposes for the reader/hearer;


4. an understanding that this last is decisively and authoritatively illuminated by hearing scripture in the setting of a communion service;


5. the consequent holding together of our communion service and the Scripture read in it through a strong doctrine of the Spirit's work in constructing the community of Christ's Body; and


6. the recognition that neither Scripture nor communion make sense without commitment to the resurrection of Jesus as the fundamental condition of a Church whose identity is realised in listening and responding.

The full text of his lecture is online here: The Bible Today: Reading & Hearing

Thoughtful Blogs
If this seems a little heavy, perhaps it is because I am trying to honor the Thinking Blogger Award given to Irenic Thoughts. It's awkward in that the first blog that comes to mind for this award is the one that gave it to me, November in My Soul, but here are five I follow and want to recommend (not already awarded that I know of):

Biblische Ausbildung
Dr. Stephen Cook's Blog from Virginia Seminary

Questing Parson
The Rev. Guy Kent's Blog

World of Your Making
The Rev. Rick Lord's blog at Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia

Father Steve+ Blog
from Waynesboro, Georgia

Sunrise on the Marsh
The Rev. Linda McCloud's blog at Our Savior Honey Creek

Here are the instructions:1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor