Leader Guide fr The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday By Ritva H. Williams Abut this Guide This Leader Guide and cmpanin Participant Handut ffer the tls needed fr a ne-hur discussin n the theme f hw Christians (and, in particular, Lutherans) have interpreted the Bible the fcus f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday, by Ritva H. Williams. The guide als prvides suggestins fr expanding the ne-hur general discussin f Bible interpretatin t a series f sessins based n each chapter f Williams s bk. Fr a mre in-depth study f The Bible s Imprtance, see Digging Deeper at the end f this guide. T get ut the wrd abut an upcming study f The Bible s Imprtance, dwnlad the Publicity Flyer and custmize it t fit yur needs. Pre-Sessin Preparatin Befre the sessin, read The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday and reflect n the Key Pints presented in the bx at right. Read thrugh the Leader Guide and the Participant Handut, and chse ptins frm the materials presented t use with yur grup. Gather the materials yu will need fr the study: Bibles Cpies f the Participant Handut (a cmpanin piece available n this website) A white bard, large pad f paper, r ther writing surface (helpful but nt essential) Name tags, if desired Cpies f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday (Participants will get the mst ut f the cnversatin if they have read the bk, but the ne-hur sessin is designed s that yu can welcme and include guests wh haven t dne the reading.) Cpies f the ELCA Cnfessin f Faith, is available at the ELCA Web site. G t www.elca.rg/what-we-believe/statements-f- Belief/ELCA-Cnfessin-f-Faith.aspx This bk and ther Lutheran Vices titles may be purchased by calling (800) 328-4648, in Canada: (800) 265-6397, ext. 215. Discunts are available fr bulk purchases f as few as five bks f a single title. Key Pints Tday s understanding f the Bible ften assumes it must be taken either very literally r else as being at least partly a human inventin. This either/r view is incnsistent with many past and present understandings f the Bible. By telling stries, teaching principles, and fllwing rituals that interpreted the past, the Israelites passed n their shared faith in wrds that became the Hebrew Bible. By recalling and interpreting the actins and teachings f Jesus thrugh stries and rituals, the early Christians passed n their shared faith in wrds that became the New Testament. Early Jewish interpreters f the Hebrew Scriptures saw them as cryptic, eternally relevant, whlly significant, and divinely given and riented. Early Christian interpreters lked fr passages that freshadw Jesus, using typlgy, allegry, and a search fr mral truths. Martin Luther learned the peshat methd, in which the plain meaning is fund by understanding literary methds and the authr s situatin. Luther applied this t a Christ-centered apprach in which the wrd f Scripture cnveys the living Wrd, Jesus Christ. Until the 16th century, Lutheran interpretatin cntinued t fcus n gspel-centered messages. Then the idea that every wrd is divinely inspired and histrically accurate became ppular. Tday Lutheran teaching emphasizes the Bible as a means f grace thrugh which Gd brings faith, frgiveness, and new life. The Lutheran Vices series is tapping int the rich resurces f the church and bringing us tgether t talk abut issues and ideas that shape ur present and future. Mark S. Hansn, Presiding Bishp f the ELCA
Single-Sessin Plan The fllwing ideas suggest hw t use the Participant Handut in leading a ne-hur discussin f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday. Opening (2 minutes) Intrduce yurself and welcme the participants. Pray the pening prayer tgether, r invite ne persn t lead the prayer. Getting Started (10 minutes) Invite the participants t briefly intrduce themselves and t answer this questin: What, if anything, have yu enjyed reading in the Bible r been inspired by frm the Bible? If the grup is large, have participants intrduce themselves and respnd t the questin within smaller grups f 4 5 peple rather than t the entire grup. Fcus n learning abut participants experiences with the Bible, rather than trying t find crrect answers. (Yu might nte that in her intrductin, Williams describes childhd enjyment f the Psalms, but thers will have very different experiences.) Pints t Pnder (45 minutes) Use questins frm the Participant Handut as a framewrk fr discussin. Questin 1 (5 minutes): Like the Getting Started questin, this ne prvides an pprtunity t gauge the perspectives that participants bring t the discussin. Ntice whether pinins divide int the liberal and cnservative utlks that Williams describes n pages 13 14. If s, yu will likely want t make the cnnectin in yur discussin f questin 3. Optin: Ask the survey questin frm the table n p. 12, and tally the results n the bard. Questins 2-4 (10 minutes): It wuld be helpful fr all participants t have a cpy f this statement, s they can mark each reference. The Scriptures are mentined in three places: as ne expressin f the Wrd f Gd (secnd bullet pint), as the inspired Wrd f Gd and authritative surce and nrm (third bullet pint), and as the pwer f Gd t create and sustain the Church (last bullet pint). These descriptins differ frm sme f the Bible talk in the ppular media (fr example, in nt using wrds like true, false, and literal), s take time t cnsider the meaning f each, nticing hw they fcus n the impact and use f the Bible. Williams presumes this utlk is neither cnservative nr liberal, but Christcentered (see chapter 5). Questin 5 (5 minutes): Williams writes, Our biblical and thelgical heritage is a 2,500-year-ld treasury f wisdm that I intend t mine faithfully and critically in rder t articulate a distinctively Lutheran apprach t Scripture neither cnservative nr liberal (p. 15). This questin aims at inviting participants t see different perspectives as pssible treasures, perhaps whetting their appetite fr the remaining questins as well as the in-depth study in Digger Deeper. Questins 6 10 (15 minutes): These questins can nly scratch the surface, but they sample the appraches t the Bible described in chapters 2 and 3. Yu might explain that the early Christians searched the Hebrew Scriptures and fund examples f the type f persn that Jesus was and the ways Gd wrks t bring salvatin. This way f understanding scriptures permeates the New Testament teachings. Questin 11 (5 minutes): Nte that later schlarship turned t the histry behind the scriptures. This effrt has smetimes deepened understanding but has als distracted frm spiritual meaning and inspiratin. Observe whether different participants have different interests and values in this regard. Questin 12 (5 minutes): Recall that the ELCA statement emphasized hw the Bible affects us. If yur grup wasn t inspired, cnsider whether yu need mre time with the passage. If time remains, end with a meditative reading f the Acts passage. Clsing (3 minutes) Pray the clsing prayer alud tgether. If yu plan t cntinue the discussin f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday after this sessin, annunce the place and time fr the next meeting. Ask participants t prepare by reading the chapters f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday that yu plan t cver at the next meeting. Suggestins fr subsequent discussins begin n the fllwing page, Digging Deeper.
Digging Deeper After wrking yur way thrugh the single-sessin plan, use the fllwing suggestins alng with the chapter questins in The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday t dig deeper int what it means fr a ministry t be grunded in a sense f place. These suggestins prvide a framewrk fr a chapter-by-chapter discussin f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday, thugh it s yur decisin as t hw many chapters t address each time the grup meets. Chapter 1: Reading the Bible as Scial Memry Ask participants t think f three wrds that name wh they are. Identify a family rle that has been named, such as spuse r parent, and ask: Hw have yu learned what a mther (r whatever rle) is like and hw a mther shuld behave? D the same fr ther rles that have been named, such as firefighter, nurse, member f the Smith family, Krean American, Sunday schl teacher, child f Gd. Draw attentin t situatins in which family, wrk, sprts, schl, and ther grups have handed n principles and traditins by remembering their histry r telling their stries. Explain that Williams, in chapter 1, describes hw the Bible gathers teachings that were passed n abut what it means t be a faithful fllwer f Gd. Ask: Why d yu think we remember sme things frm ur past and frget thers? What makes sme memries mre imprtant than thers? Wh helps us remember, and hw d thse peple decide which memries t keep alive? Review the summary f the Israelites histry n pages 21 23, nting that fr hundreds f years withut bks r newspapers, the Israelites passed n their faith by remembering stries, petry, prverbs, rituals, etc. Read each f the fllwing passages, and discuss what it might have tld the Israelites abut themselves and their Gd: Exdus 14:10-31 (Nte that this memry was als kept alive thrugh the sngs f Miriam and Mses, recrded in Exdus 15, and thrugh yearly celebratin f the Passver.) Psalm 23 Prverbs 15:1-5 Review the histry f the New Testament n pages 25 26, nting that Jesus, his fllwers, and the early Christians did nt have a New Testament. Ask: Where did they receive instructin in faith? (Jesus, the scribes, and the apstles all turned t the Scriptures the law and the prphets.) Fr an example f Jesus applying the Scriptures (Deut. 6:4-5; Lev. 19:18), read Mark 12:28-34. Ask: Why d yu think the early Christians remembered and retld this particular stry abut Jesus? What was imprtant abut this stry? T see hw the early Christians passed n their understanding f Jesus, cmpare the stries f the Last Supper, frm the ldest written versin t mre recent nes: 1 Cr. 11:23-26; Mark 14:22-25; Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:14-23. After yu read each accunt, ask: What des this passage tell us abut Jesus? Abut being a Christian? After cnsidering all the accunts, ask: Fr yu, is it mre imprtant t knw the histrical details f the Last Supper r its meaning fr us? When yu think f these accunts as the Wrd f Gd, des that mean t yu that Gd dictated every detail r inspired the writer t remember, interpret, and express what Jesus has dne (r sme ther meaning)? Chapter 2: Reading the Bible with Our Faith Frebears Review the fur assumptins f Jewish interpretatin (pp. 31 32). Ask: Which f these assumptins are cnsistent with the way yu read the Bible? Which are new? Which wuld yu need help t apply? Read Genesis 22:1-14, and then discuss hw each f the fur assumptins might apply t a Jewish interpretatin f this text. Fr sme ideas, see the discussin n p. 33. Read Matthew 22:41-46, nting that in verse 44, Jesus is quting Psalm 110:1. Ask: Which f the fur assumptins f Jewish interpretatin might Jesus be applying? What eternally relevant lessn might we take away frm this passage? Review the definitin f typlgical interpretatin (befre the qutatin frm Matthew n p. 36). Yu might read the Matthew qutatin t see hw this kind f interpretatin was used in the New Testament. Return t the Genesis 22 stry cnsidered earlier. Ask: What can yu find in this stry that pints t Jesus? That is, what events r themes in the stry freshadw the gspel, what Jesus did and des fr us? (Tw pssible answers: Gd, in Jesus, prvided a lamb fr us; Gd later did what he asked Abraham t d sacrifice a firstbrn sn.) Hw des this way f interpreting the stry shape its impact n yu? Fr example, des the stry make mre sense, r des it inspire yu r increase yur faith in r lve fr Gd? Review the definitin f allegry n pp. 37 38. Nte that if yu were t treat the Genesis 22 stry as an allegry, yu wuld lk fr specific peple and things that stand fr smething in a message abut the gspel. Try t find elements f the stry that culd wrk in this way. Ask: Is this a mre r less helpful way f interpreting than typlgy? What culd be sme challenges, risks, r drawbacks f using allegry? (One prblem is deciding hw far frm the literal meaning t g what representatins are legitimate; see p. 40.) Nte that in the first centuries f the church, teachers develped criteria fr which interpretatins were valid. Review Irenaeus Rule f Faith (pp. 40 41) and Augustine s fcus n effect (pp. 41 42). Ask: Hw well did ur wn effrts t interpret Genesis 22 meet these criteria?
Chapter 3: Reading Galatians with Luther Nte that Williams says Jewish and Christian interpreters until the Middle Ages valued the spiritual meaning f a text ver its plain meaning, but views began t change in the late Middle Ages. Ask: Why did the spiritual meaning seem mre imprtant? Why did the values shift? (Fr answers, see the discussin n p. 46.) In yur wn experiences with the Bible, which kind f meaning have yu tended t fcus n? Why? On a bard r sheet f paper where all can see, list the fur assumptins f Jewish interpretatin frm chapter 2. Review the descriptin f peshat interpretatin n pp. 46 47. Next t each item n the list, nte hw peshat interpretatin challenged the assumptin (r didn t, in the case f divinely given ). Review r read the descriptin f hw Lyra interpreted Psalm 23 (p. 47). Read Psalm 23, and then allw a few minutes fr quiet reflectin. Invite participants t share ideas f hw they might interpret the psalm mystically. That is, ask: Hw d the images in the psalm describe situatins r experiences in yur wn life? Als ask: Hw might yur understanding f the plain meaning frm the histrical cntext shape r help yu develp the mystical interpretatin? Nte that peshat and Lyra s apprach shaped Martin Luther s wrk. Read the qutatin frm Luther extracted n p. 50. Ask: What wuld yu expect Luther s mystical interpretatins t emphasize? (Williams refers t a Christ-centered apprach.) Read Gal. 1:6-24. Review Williams s summary f hw Luther discussed the plain meaning f this text; ask smene t read the secnd and third paragraphs under Luther s Cmmentary n Galatians, beginning n p. 51. Identify the kinds f infrmatin prvided, such as histrical and literary backgrund. Nte that Luther identified the central subject f Paul s letter as being hw Christians are made right with Gd. Ask: Hw is that theme expressed in verses 2:15-16; 3:1-5; and 3:13-14? (Fr a summary f Luther s teaching abut Galatians, see pp. 53 57.) Nte that, fr Luther, the main rle f the entire Bible is t shw us Jesus, s we see that Jesus, thrugh faith, makes us right with Gd. Ask: When yu read r hear the Bible, are yu mre ften lking fr the gspel f Jesus r fr mral laws t guide yur life? Hw can each apprach affect yu? Chapter 4: Reading the Bible in Lutheran Histry Ask: As yu have learned t read the Bible, wh has taught yu abut it? Have yu been encuraged t find meaning n yur wn r t accept the interpretatins f thers, such as pastrs, the ppe, r church traditin? What are sme prs and cns f relying n yurself and f relying n thers? Nte that the Lutheran Refrmers declared the Bible t be the ne true guiding principle, accrding t which all teachers and teaching are t be judged and evaluated, with the church dcuments listed n p. 61 serving as helpful interpretatins and explanatins f the Bible s message. Optin: T see an example f hw the Bible guides Lutheran teaching, read the explanatin f Hly Baptism frm Luther s Small Catechism (available n pp. 1164 65 f Evangelical Lutheran Wrship), identifying where pints are based n Scripture. (Each explanatin qutes a Bible verse.) Ask: Hw can yu tell whether teaching is cnsistent with the Bible? Des this principle tell yu hw t interpret the Bible, r rather indicate that interpreting the Bible is essential? Nte that, beginning in the seventeenth century, sme Lutheran and Refrmed schlars began t teach that every single wrd and letter f the Bible was dictated by Gd. Read the qutatin frm Quenstedt n p. 62 and the explanatin f it n p. 63. Ask: Is this idea f verbal inspiratin new fr yu? T what extent wuld yu agree with this understanding? Why d yu think this viewpint tk hld at a time when science was becming mre frmal and making great discveries? Nte that the idea f ttal verbal inspiratin has been cntrversial since the 1900s. Ask: Why d yu think it wuld be cntrversial? What challenges culd arise frm using this way f understanding the Bible? Optin: Cmpare the different statements f Lutheran church bdies n pp. 66 70, and ask participants t identify which nes cme clsest t their wn beliefs. Encurage participants t discuss why sme viewpints might be mre appealing r reasnable than thers. Read Matthew 28:1-10 and Luke 24:1-12. Ask: Are these stries the same in every detail? Hw wuld yu explain any differences yu find? Are yur explanatins cnsistent with the idea f ttal verbal inspiratin? Are they cnsistent with the idea that the Bible is the inspired Wrd f Gd? Why r why nt? Chapter 5: Reading the Bible fr Faith Frmatin Read Williams s assertin The Bible is imprtant fr the church tday primarily because it frms, infrms, transfrms, and refrms the peple f Gd (p. 73). Discuss what each f thse actins means in terms f what the Bible des t individuals and grups. Ask: When have yu seen r felt the Bible d thse things? Hw has reading r hearing the Bible affected yu, and hw d yu hpe it will affect yu? Nte that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) cmpares the Bible t a sacrament (see pp. 75 76): by encuntering this physical dcument, we experience the grace f Jesus Christ, including faith, frgiveness f sins, and new life.
Ask: Fr Gd t d this wrk thrugh the Scriptures, d yu think every wrd has t be histrically and literally accurate? Why r why nt? D we have t understand every detail f each passage in rder fr Gd t wrk thrugh it? Why r why nt? Read r review the descriptin f faith n p. 77. Ask: Hw is having faith in Gd different frm having faith in the Bible? Hw can the Bible cntribute t building up each f the three aspects f faith? Read r review Williams s recmmendatins in the first paragraph under Reclaiming the Insights f Our Ancestrs in Faith. Ask: Recalling ur investigatin f ways that Christians have interpreted the Bible (the discussin f chapter 2 is particularly relevant), are the insights recmmended by Williams nes that yu wuld like t reclaim? Which, if any, f the ther appraches that we have discussed wuld yu like t add t this list? Read Matthew 19:16-26. Ask: Hw des this text prclaim Christ? (Is Jesus telling his questiner and the disciples that they can inherit eternal life thrugh gd wrks and the law, r is there a message here abut Gd s grace?) If we accept that the biblical texts are cryptic, what might we be missing by lking nly at the plain, literal meaning f this passage? What in this stry frm the first century is relevant and significant t us tday? Hw is this passage cnsistent with the Apstles Creed, and hw can the creed help us interpret this passage? (Have hymnals cntaining the creed r phtcpies f the creed available fr reference.) Hw des this passage affect yu ethically that is, hw des it inspire yu t lve Gd and neighbr? Explre whether there are ways f interpreting this passage that culd actually interfere with lving Gd and neighbr and ther ways f interpreting it that deepen ur lve. Ask: Hw, if at all, has this series f discussins changed the way yu understand the Bible? Optin: Repeat questin 1 frm the Participant Handut, and ntice whether (and in what ways) the answers have changed: The Bible is ften called the wrd f Gd. What des that phrase mean t yu? Wuld it be easy r hard fr yu t explain yur understanding t a friend? Why? Deeper Still: Further Resurces t Explre We hpe yu enjyed yur study f The Bible s Imprtance fr the Church Tday. The Lutheran Vices series includes ver 40 bks fcused n faithful living, glbal issues, healing and whleness, Martin Luther s teachings, and church revitalizatin and leadership. Free, dwnladable study materials are available fr select bks. Fr a cmplete list f titles, g t www.augsburgfrtress.rg r call (800) 328-4648, in Canada: (800) 265-6397, ext. 215. Study Materials by Karen Schenkenfelder 2009 Augsburg Frtress Publishers, Minneaplis May be reprduced fr lcal use