Guest Blogger Series: Emily Martin and the BIBLE
Guest Blogger Series: Part 6 
This is the sixth post in my guest blogger series on the Bible. To see all the Bible posts in one window click here.
Purses, Prisons, Picky Reading and Pastoral Care
by Emily Martin
I have a wee (to use Adam’s favorite adjective) zip-up Bible that I keep in my purse, so I have it is when I make home or hospital visits. I got in the habit of using my Bible in pastoral visits while working at a women’s prison last summer. Sometimes, especially in the infirmary, I would visit with women who either couldn’t read well or didn’t have a Bible with them, so I got in the habit, before I would pray, of asking them if they had any favorite scripture passages they’d like for me to read.
Psalm 23 and 91 were favorites, and I often liked to read from Psalm 139 or Romans 8 or John 14 or Isaiah. One woman I visited repeatedly asked me to read from Revelation 20-22. The first couple of times, I practiced selectively reading the comforting parts, skipping over all the parts about the lake of fire and eternal suffering. Later though, my supervisor challenged me on my selective reading, so I tried reading the verse about how all murderers, fornicators, gossip, etc. that would end up in the lake of fire, and she stopped me mid-sentence. “That’s it, that’s what they’ve been saying to me. That I’m a murderer and I’m going to Hell. Am I going to Hell or will God forgive me?” This “undesireable” scripture passage became the vehicle for confession and a chance to share the good news of God’s forgiving love. It became a chance to share some other scripture passages about God’s forgiveness and desire to save anyone who repents and believes.
I’ve tried to keep up this practice of scripture reading, especially when visiting people in the hospital. Sometimes it doesn’t feel right, so I just pray with them. But I like having a bit of scripture read out loud before I pray. I feel that it guides my prayers in a way that is helpful for me and for the other person.
Mostly, my wee bible gets used when I’m preparing for Bible studies with the homeless (weekly) or the elderly (monthly) or Sunday school or when I’m preparing sermons or the liturgy each week. Occasionally, I’ll pull it out when a random church member asks me where such and such verse is. I have a little insert from the Scottish Bible Society that I picked up in Glasgow which lists a lot of commonly sought after verses, stories, prayers, etc.–that comes in handy too. The only catch is that the print in my wee bible is so small that I’m about the only one that can read it, and then only if the light is decent. The good thing is that the zippered cover keeps it from being demolished in the black hole/chaos of my purse.
Emily Martin is a senior in the MDiv program at Columbia Theological Seminary. She is currently completing a yearlong internship at Government Street Presbyterian Church in Mobile, Alabama. She’s currently busy planning Urban Mission Camps, week-long urban mission experiences for youth groups and invites you to their website here.
Guest Blogger Series: Mary Hinkle Shore and the BIBLE
Guest Blogger Series: Part 5
This is the fifth post in my guest blogger series on the Bible. To see all the Bible posts in one window click here.
Luther Seminary
Somewhere (I think it’s in Meditating on the Word), Dietrich Bonhoeffer commends reading the Bible without a task in mind. Basically he says: Don’t read just for the sermon you have to preach, or the study you have to prepare. Read the Bible without another agenda beside simply spending time in the Word.
To this I say, “Well… maybe.” I am not against having a regular practice of spending time with the Bible during which one does not require the Bible to function as a means to an end. I agree in theory. The Bible is God’s Word, not a means for me to “get” a sermon, or a study, or something consoling to say to someone, or point-and-read advice for my life. Yet I have always found Bonhoeffer’s direction nearly impossible to follow, and at this point in my life I no longer see any reason to try.
I always read the Bible toward something. From time to time I have tried to develop a practice of private prayer of the psalms or reading a particular book of the Bible just to read it. It is not a practice I can sustain. Instead, my reading is almost always on behalf of others, that is, in preparation to preach, write, or teach. Here, however, is something that might surprise Bonhoeffer: my “instrumental” reading of scripture sustains my faith and continues to deepen my relationship with the God revealed in the pages of scripture.
This kind of reading is like a phone call placed to a friend: you phone with a question and you may get an answer to that question right away, but then, the fact that you’re on the phone gives you both an excuse to talk about other things. The one-question phone call becomes a visit that, as it is combined with other phone calls inspired by other questions, fosters the intimacy of your friendship. There is nothing wrong with having a specific question in mind when you pick up the phone.
The other possibly curious thing about my relationship with the Bible is that I never try to read as if I were not a Bible scholar. Far from being an impediment to devotion, my scholarship breaks open the texts for me. I love what reading the New Testament in Greek shows me that I would miss otherwise. A subtle difference between Mark and Matthew as they tell a particular story opens up for me an earlier unnoticed element of Jesus’ character. One tidbit of Pauline autobiography makes me go digging for more, in other letters.
I have never longed for a “simpler” relationship with scripture. Instead, I want to know even more so that even more things I’ve missed or misunderstood might come clear to me. It’s like being really into someone, as you are when a friendship or romance begins: you want to hear the back story about the new friend’s likes and dislikes. You meet their parents and think, “Oh, now I understand.” You read the books that they love. You quiz them about their politics.
All of this reconnaissance certainly uncovers some things you wish were not the case, maybe even some things you will somehow have to reconcile yourself to in order to come to love–and to continue to love–the person. Yet what would the alternative be? Whatever it would be, the relationship would be neither as authentic nor as intimate as it is when you not only love them but also know them. Finally, knowing and loving scripture are two sides of the same coin for me.
Mary Hinkle Shore is Associate Professor of New Testament and Associate Dean for First Theological Degree Programs at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, the former of which includes work with Luther Seminary’s Distributed Learning MDiv Program. Her Luther bio page is here and a more personal bio page is here. Also, check out Mary’s personal blog and blog detailing readings for preachers. She is the author of “Signs of Belonging: Luther’s Marks of the Church and the Christian Life” and co-author of “New Proclamation, Series A 2007-08, Advent-Holy Week.”
Guest Blogger Series: Rebekah Abel Lamar and the BIBLE
Guest Blogger Series: Part 4
This is the fourth post in a guest blogger series on the Bible. To see all the Bible posts in one window click here.
Year of the Bible
by Rebekah Abel Lamar
Decatur Presbyterian Church has named 2008 the “Year of the Bible.”
“That’s funny,” you might say, “Shouldn’t every year be the Year of the Bible?” Well, yes, but this year is different. This year our church has taken on the challenge of reading through the Bible by the end of the year. About a third of our members have committed themselves to this task. The pastors have left the lectionary in order to preach from the texts that people are reading each week. Six new Bible study opportunities began this month to go along with the effort, and a Year of the Bible family devotional guide has been distributed.
These programs are great, and programming is a huge part of what I do. However, the reason that the Year of the Bible is so exciting is not anything I can program. It is less planned and less defined. It is a family reading the Bible together, the youth showing off her brand new Bible, the young professional reading the Bible on his blackberry on work trips, the stay-at-home mom looking forward to her Bible reading at the end of a long day, the elder opening his meetings with devotions from his readings, the retired couple reading scripture aloud to one another after dinner each night. It is also the conversations and questions about the Bible that are happening inside and outside of the church daily.
I have been excited about it for months and the response has been better than I ever hoped for. However, there is a question that routinely gnaws at the back of my mind:
How will the Year of the Bible change our church?
It is a question that scares me, really. For all the planning I have done, I really have no idea what the results of the Year of the Bible will be. What I do know is that the Bible is a radical book which calls people to do radical things and that it could change us in ways that I don’t expect and may not like.
So, I have stopped praying for the program to go well. I think I prayed this when I foolishly assumed that I had something to do with the outcome. Now I am just praying that we have the courage to follow where it leads us.
Rebekah Abel Lamar is Director of Christian Education at Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia. You can find a pdf of their Year of the Bible readings on their website.
Guest Blogger Series: Noah Carlson and the BIBLE
Guest Blogger Series: Part 3 
This is the third post in a guest blogger series on the Bible. Part 2, by Erika Funk, is here.
It has been an enlightening experience to transition from Princetonian theological theory to British parish praxis during my tenure in Scotland as a visiting seminarian. Most interesting perhaps has been the utilization, or lack thereof, of the Bible as I function as an assistant minister in a variety of roles—preacher, confidant, teacher, administrator, and disciple. For this series, however, I will discuss my use of the Bible proper in school assemblies.
I had prepared and certainly hoped to use the Bible more in Scotland than I have been and although it is a source that I readily and often utilize, it is not my primary source in my educational ministry by and large. For instance, my duties include speaking to high school-aged youth who have a strong opposition to the Church. Simply standing in front of two hundred youth during an assembly and using Scripture as a primary source of your message would not only not be received, but also, and sadly—mocked. Most importantly, nothing of substance and worth would reach these students if such a Scriptural tactic were employed.
Now, some may argue from ivory towers that it does not matter; the Word always triumphs and thus should be used nonetheless. To be sure, this is true, but there is also the reality of the context one is in when using or not using the Bible in ministry, at least directly, and that must be taken into account if one truly seeks to be effective in their overall corpus of ministry. And so, I have found my assemblies to be centered on basic moral concepts that are found in Scripture, but not pinpointed with chapter and verse—at least not to the students. And, I have found this route to be relatively successful, as it enables me to still use Scripture, but to translate it in such a way as to truly reach a skeptical and critical audience.
Conversely, during my assemblies for elementary school students, I use direct Bible stories quite frequently, as they are narrative, descriptive, and can be brought to life easily for children—Noah’s Ark, etc. This speaks for itself and it works 99.9% of the time. Thus, the paradox arises.
My use of the Bible is somewhat paradoxical in terms of Christian education of the young here in Scotland—using it directly with the young ones, and indirectly with the older youth. But, what is most interesting perhaps is how the Bible is so well-received with children, but as they grow older into their adolescent years, they become alienated from Scripture and in some cases, completely against it, even combative to it. Why is this? And what can be done? Should I and other ministers stand firm and use the Word despite the walls that would be built and throw modern contextual language out the door? Should a new hermeneutic be created and enacted? This problem is as paradoxical as my use of Scripture in C.E. and my mind and heart yearn for a sincere answer. Perhaps an answer will come. In the meantime, in the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” When you look at it that way, perhaps an answer already has arrived.
Noah Carlson is a yearlong intern/assistant minister at the Scottish parishes of Old Cumnock and Lugar. He is pursing a M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary. He blogs at Radical Seminarian.
Guest Blogger Series: Erika Funk and the BIBLE
Guest Blogger Series: Part 2 
This is the second post in a guest blogger series on the Bible.
My Bible hurts…and heals
by Erika Funk
My Bible hurts.
It hurts when I throw it across the room and it hits young people in the face.
It hurts when someone tells me “my Bible” is wrong.
It hurts when something I was sure I understood suddenly becomes very unclear.
My Bible hurts my head and my heart.
But sometimes the Bible heals.
The faith community I live in now, Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia has a weekly bible study called No Holds Barred, run by our Dean for the Center for Subversive Theology. So already you can tell it’s different.
Because we are located in the heart of downtown Philadelphia and we serve food whenever we gather, we get all kinds of people who wander in for Bible Study…and for all kinds of reasons. Which if we’re going to be honest, isn’t much different than any church Bible Study from Anchorage to Ayr. We all come with our “bibles” in our brains; we come with the tapes in our heads from former Bible teachers and pastors and we all come with bruises from when someone threw their bible at us. We’ve learned too well to duck when something dangerous comes our way (like the gospel) and to re-load and re-launch our rhetoric when we see a breach in someone’s theological fortification.
Having seen some of this biblical bruising and scriptural scarring, our C4ST Dean created some ground rules for the No Holds Barred Bible Study. We call them table manners. One of the rules is no one knows it all, your thoughts and questions are welcome.
Recently, we were studying a passage from Isaiah and got into a discussion about the New Jerusalem and wondered together what that meant, where it is, when we are likely to see it. Rather than leading an exegesis on the historical understandings of the biblical concept of “New Jerusalem” we thought it through together, as homeless, student, professional, worker, and teacher. Michael, one of our regulars at BSM, said he thought he’d found New Jerusalem right here. Michael is a 60+ years-old, well educated, formerly homeless man who speaks 12 different languages, once worked for the U.N. and was raised Jewish. He now lives in a permanent residence run by a wonderful organization called the Bethesda Project. I asked where he sensed this New Jerusalem. He said here at Broad Street Ministry. So I asked what markers he saw that displayed to him that this was the New Kingdom, a place of God’s continual presence. To him, he said, it was the way we didn’t tell him what to think, we didn’t tell him what he had to believe. Instead, we said “invite your neighbor to dinner”. He heard, “come join us at the table and be who you are and have a cup of coffee.” That was to Michael evidence of God’s Kingdom on earth.
My Bible hurts when the unexpected joy of its truth pierces my hardened heart and fills it with grace.
Erika Funk is the Youth Initiative Minister at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia. Check out their fantastic ministry and contact Erika for information on youth mission experiences and Broad Street Ministry.
Guest blogger series: The BIBLE
My Bible broke. In some ways, this happening is exciting, the culmination of many years of prayer and reflection. I admit, some small part of me exalted when I noticed the significant split in the spine. After all, a faithful church member I know says we should wear out a Bible every three years. But don’t throw it away then, she says. After that, cut it up and use the parts when traveling.
Another part of me mourned. I loved that Bible and it had been with me for years (eight, in fact). I literally traveled around the world with it. I read that Bible through cover to cover. It survived, years ago, a full cup of water being spilled on it. It was a good size, shape, and feel, that Bible. And I will miss it dearly.
Mostly, however, I’m struck by the cruel irony. These last few months were the least taxing ever for that Bible. While in Scotland, I kept it in my briefcase, but pulled it out seldom. I receive (and usually at least skim) daily emails with suggested daily Bible readings. And though I left it in the car for the first few weeks of pastoral visits, I’ve never used or needed the Bible on a visit.
It’s this last point that bothers me most. I’ve never used a Bible on a pastoral visit. Sure my visits have been made in light of the Bible. After all, a presbytery committee has been convinced of my “thorough competence of the Bible,” but shouldn’t the Bible be discussed and consulted at least occasionally by the pastor on visits?
To help consider these questions and more, I’ve asked a variety of folks to become guest bloggers on A Wee Blether and reflect on the Bible and their lives. Fellow interns from both Columbia Seminary and Princeton Seminary will reflect on their use of the Bible in pastoral care. Seminary professors will reflect on the Bible and their personal devotions. Pastors will reflect on the Bible and their congregations. A non-churchy friend will present her perspective, and a Director of Christian Education will reflect on her congregation’s “year of the Bible.” And there will be some surprises along the way.
My hearty thanks goes out to all those who have agreed to participate: Mary Hinkle Shore, Emily Martin, Erin Kobs, Noah Carlson, Bruce Reyes Chow, Erika Funk, Mark Douglas, Christopher Henry, and Rebekah Abel Lamar. These guest bloggers have come up with some great work, and I’m eager to share it with you and hear your perspective. So check back often, comment away, and let the guest blogging begin.
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