On the Difficulty of Paradigm Shifts (Part 1: Ground-breaking)

In his landmark 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn introduced us to the term paradigm shift. Kuhn applied the phrase strictly to worldview upheavals in the hard sciences, but since then it has passed over into more colloquial use. We now commonly use it to refer to any comprehensive change in our understanding. Paradigm shifts have to do with “seeing” things differently, and doing so in a radical (in the sense of root) way.

Many of us think of ourselves as modern (or perhaps postmodern) people who take constant change in stride. We “ride the waves of progress and innovation.” We are repeatedly told to be flexible, always on the move, always reacting to (or better yet anticipating) the next new thing. There is a lot of talk about how to handle or overcome those who are “resistant to change.”

But the fact is, change at certain core levels is hard for every one of us. There is an uncomfortable insecurity when the ground beneath us moves, when the things we’ve taken for granted are challenged.

“Messing” with the way the Bible is presented affects how we experience it. The Christian community has developed and standardized an interaction with the Bible based on the chapter & verse additives. This window into the Bible has largely been taken for granted for some time now.

What happens when that window disappears? As I continue to read and interact with The Books of The Bible I have to admit a feeling of disorientation mixed with my excitement and pleasure. I’ve gotten as used to the the c&v system as anyone else. My own lack of knowledge of the structure of whole books has been revealed. My own impatience rises up when I want to find something quickly. I too have my pet verses that I would prefer not to read in context.

This new visual presentation has the potential to bring a paradigm shift to the world of Bible reading and understanding. We shouldn’t underestimate the magnitude of changing this window, of seeing the Bible in a new way. If we take this seriously, it can change our preaching and teaching, our writing about and quoting of Bible passages.

If you begin reading whole books of the Bible, as the literature they really are, be ready for some very exciting things to happen. But also be ready for some disconcerting movement of the ground under your feet.

yours, for mo betta and very different Bible reading,

-Glenn

It’s Bible Time! (Part 2: The Speed Trap)

Our culture makes a lot out of time. Mostly out of “saving it” and going faster and faster in everything we do. We’ve made a consumer virtue of impatience. We can’t stand to wait, whether its for computer downloads or paying for our groceries. Advertisers constantly tell us we don’t have enough time, and we certainly can’t be satisfied with something taking the same time it always has. Their new product is better because it’s faster. This equation is never questioned.

The whole thing has been a disaster for our Bible reading.

Some have tried to accommodate the trend and have produced versions like the “One-minute” Bible (for busy people). Hey, a little bit ‘o Bible’s better than none, right? (Marketing Alert! New product idea: the “Bit-O-Bible”.) The Books of The Bible takes the opposite approach, hoping to attract people to reading whole books, typically in more than sixty seconds.

It’s not just that we could stand to give more of our time to digesting these sacred words, we could also stand to read more slowly. Quantity of overall time is one thing, pace is another.

The fact is, the chapter and verse system has fed the speed machine. It allows the topical speed study. Quick, look up everything the Bible says about money, prayer, beer, or whatever. Read the verses, string them together, and presto! you’ve got the Bible’s teaching on that subject.

Only you don’t. You haven’t read in context. You haven’t taken the Bible in slowly and surely. You’ve taken it in speedily and on the surface. What if you were to take the time to find those selected “verses” more naturally in the larger paragraph? What if you were to take the time to locate that paragraph in the larger section of which it is a part? It would be a slower knowledge, to be sure, but also a better knowledge.

In our age of instant gratification, there’s much to be said for doing things more deliberately, including reading the Bible. Slowly has to do with savoring. With soaking it in. With pondering. With letting the Bible work its way deep into us.

Read in the right lane. Let the frustrated, impatient speeders go by. God has given us plenty of time— all the time we need. Let’s go ahead and take it.

yours for slo mo Bible reading,

-Glenn

This week’s recommended reading: Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book