I find Christian faith coherent, intellectually rigorous, and deeply soul-satisfying. Why? Probably because I have been fed a hearty diet of Reformed Theology. I did my doctoral dissertation on John Calvin, the Reformed theologian who shaped the tradition more than any other. For a good long while I’ve regularly taught the theological summaries that make up […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 5): Pray It
I am convinced that far too few who follow Jesus find fuel for the journey in their own regular engagement with the Bible. If you do, that’s great. If you don’t, Guigo II (d. 1188) is the man to check out. Actually it is his little book that you should check out: The Ladder of Monks is […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 4): Meditate On It
Raise your hand if the word “meditation” brings to mind images of someone trying to empty their mind of every thought. Okay, how many of you think of “meditation” as repeating a mantra — a secret word in a language you don’t actually understand? What about option three: When you hear “meditation” how many of […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 3): Read It
The subtitle here is not a snarky Nike-influenced oversimplification: “Just read it.” No. I am referring to the first step of the process in medieval monastic spiritual reading, the foundation of “lectio divina.” Simply reading the Bible, opening at Genesis and pressing on to Revelation, is an excellent practice, of course, though a challenging one for many. But that is […]
Finding a Life-Giving Approach to the Bible (part 2): Lectio Divina
When I started this series I mentioned that our mentor as we search for a richer way to engage with the Bible, Guigo II (d. 1188), because His little book The Ladder of Monks is the go-to text for people who want to understand the actual monastic practice of prayerful reading of Scripture, or “lectio divina.” […]