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In this episode we riff on comments Charlie left on Episode Two, about the Bible. Charlie shares his conflicted feelings about how he views the Bible and and also his observation that many people just want to be told to a more literal view of what the Bible says instead of doing their own work to understand the Bible better.
So we explore the notion of Christians and non-Christians as being like different “tribes” and the their inability to relate to each other is often because they can’t find a common starting place, and which is ultimately an unproductive situation.
The conversation then turns to the topic of “dialog and dispute,” and how many Christians overly emphasize dispute and “setting the facts straight” in way that does not love or seek to understand other people. We reflect on why some Christians might feel the need to work so hard to protect the truth (as though attempting to protect God).
Gregg encourages people to take the time really to understand what they believe and why. This leads to brainstorming about adding a resources tab to the website–a list books and resources we’ve found helpful. John reflects on the importance of not only finding good resources but also being clear on the perspective and school of thought they are coming from. From this we discuss the need for churches to employ “research pastors” as resources for parishioners.
We wrap up by drilling into Gregg’s response to Charlie about experience. Gregg raises the importance of understanding the world based on our understandings from the bible and understanding the bible based on our experience of living in the world–existence. It’s not one or the other but both.
We encourage listeners to leave a comment with particular books or resources that have helped you to understand your beliefs or God’s love better.