Lutheran Study Bible

I received my copy of the Lutheran Study Bible yesterday.  I pre-ordered my copy last year in anticipation of it’s release on March 1, 2009.   This study Bible was produced in connection with the Book of Faith initiative that was launched by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).  I was mostly curious about what a “Lutheran” study Bible would contain so I placed my order.  And so far I must say that I am pleasantly surprised and pleased with what I have read.  So with these next couple posts I want to highlight some features in this study Bible.

Let me first say that this study Bible is BIG (2 1/4 inches thick).  It is this big because there is so much packed in there: useful resources, maps, articles, book introductions, and much more.  If you are fairly new to the Bible, this is going to be a great study Bible for you.  Even if you are a veteran Bible reader, there is something in here for you too (and “no”…Augsburg Fortress is not paying me to write this review).

Why am I so excited about this?  We live in a society that is becoming more and more Bible illiterate.  I am amazed at what people don’t know about the basic Bible stories.  I have encountered “Christians” who’s only knowledge of Moses is based on Charlton Heston’s portrayal of this great Old Testament hero.  Many people can’t say much if anything about Abraham, Moses, Noah, David or anyone else.  They may remember hearing those names in Sunday school, but that is it.  Somehow, someway, we need to get people interested in reading the Bible.  I have a young parishioner who said that she doesn’t attend Bible studies because she feels intimidated by those who know their Bible.  This shouldn’t be the case.

Will this study Bible solve all these problems?  I don’t know, but I think it is a start.  Whatever the case is…whether you get this study Bible or not…we need to get back into scripture.  Tonight, at my council meeting, I am going to talk to the crew about this study Bible and encourage them to get into  scripture.  Maybe we will order a bunch of study Bibles and read together…I don’t know…I will leave this up to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So with that I leave you with this question: What are your thoughts on the Lutheran Study Bible?

More thoughts about this will be coming shortly.  Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

-edh-

The Book of Faith

The Book of Faith is an initiative that has been launched by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

What is this initiative all about? 

Basically it is an initiative to get people back into THE book of faith…the Bible.  There are too many people out there that have very little biblical knowledge…and that needs to change.  On the surface it seems a little strange that a Church would need to launch an initiative like this because after all, reading the Bible seems like something that should be natural for Christians…right?  Wrong.

Walk into a Lutheran church and notice how many people bring their own Bible.  I am willing to bet you won’t see to many.  Often times the only scripture that people see is that little bulletin insert that many churches use in worship.  Some people never actually touch a Bible.  It sits on their shelf at home, collecting dust, but looking good for others who happen to visit.  Instead of the Bible looking good, we need to engage the Bible and see the Good News for ourselves.  The Bible is God’s love letter to us…so why keep that on the shelf.

At the Okoboji Lakes Bible and Missionary Conference one of the speakers said something that really caught my attention (actually there were many things that caught my attention but lets focus on this one).  What he said was, “Are you reading (the Bible) for information or because you are thirsty?“  I have to admit that more times than not I fall into the “information” category than the “thirsty” one: 
     “How will I preach this text?”  
     “Hmmm…this could make a good blog post.”  
     “How could I teach this or lead a Bible study on this text?” 
So I start searching for illustrations and look at the text “professionally” instead of devotionally.  Maybe this is a pastor thing.  I’m not saying that pastors don’t read the Bible devotionally, but I wonder how often we fall into the “information” reason over the “thirsty” one.

David over at Here I Stand is pondering the Book of Faith initiative as well and I am wondering who else is.  What are some good ways we can encourage people to get into the Bible more?  I know there are programs out there but I wonder how effective they are.  I think engaging the Bible has to be more than some canned program.  To me a canned Bible reading program will generate excitement in the short term, but we need to foster a long term relationship with scripture.  So I am curious on what people are doing and thinking about this important topic.

For people who have made the jump to Facebook there is a Book of Faith group were there is some fruitful discussion going on about the Book of Faith Initiative.  I would recommend that as one place to go.  And…as a side note (for Facebook people or soon-to-be Facebook people) there is a group called “Facebook for Pastors” where you can download a free book by the same title.  It is about how pastors (and anyone in ministry) can best use Facebook for ministry.  Maybe this can be a tool to engage people in discussions about scripture.  Hmmm…

Anyway…I throw this out to you.  Let’s get thirsty for scripture.

Take care and God bless!

-edh-