Dr. Beth Stovell is professor of Old Testament at Ambrose Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A few years ago, Stovell delivered a paper entitled “Read This Writing and Tell Me What It Means” at the Society of Vineyard Scholars Conference. In the lecture she explores how Christians who ordinarily look for a singular meaning in Scripture address the diversity inherent in a charismatic tradition.
Celia Wolff is assistant professor of biblical studies at Northwest Nazarene University. She is a Th.D. Candidate in Christian Scripture and Ethics at Duke University Divinity School. This essay was first published on her blog The Spirit’s Witness.
Reading the Bible as Christian Scripture is both simple and complex. It is complex because—like any art, craft, or sport—it requires a range of tools and much practice in order to reach a level of significant competency. Mastery remains elusive, and not only because Scripture’s subject matter (God) escapes human comprehension. But reading Scripture is also simple. An ordinary reader can go far toward deep understanding, without special training or even a Bible study guide, because the most basic task of reading Scripture is paying close attention to words. More
Anna Barbauld, born in 1743 to Presbyterian parents, was a British poet and essayist who rejected detached, rationalistic interpretation of Scripture. From a young age she exhibited a love of learning and prodded her theologian and classicist father to teach her Greek and Latin. She published several works ranging from hymns, children’s literature, statements on women’s issues to objections against the use of Scripture to support slavery. Barbauld’s love of poetry gave her a particular appreciation for the Psalms. In Devotional Pieces Compiled from the Psalms and the Book of Job: To Which Are Prefixed Thoughts on the Devotional Taste, on Sects, and on Establishment she argues for the importance of emotion in the reading and study of Scripture. After presenting her thesis the book comprises a collection of select Psalms. Below are quotes from Devotional Pieces that give us a window into the mind of a Christian thinker squaring off against the rationalistic Enlightenment trends of her time: