Sunday School Stories

I realized recently as I was reading the Bible that there is a problem as we grow older. For those who grew up in church, there are distinct memories of many popular Bible stories. We remember Daniel and the lion's den. We can tell you about David and Goliath. We can give you details about many conversations and miracles of Jesus. All of this is exciting and good to both learn and remember throughout our lives. However, there is an important step I feel we tend to miss. We never return to these stories seriously as adults and ask the next level of questions. We may know the story and lessons from the story. Those are excellent and should be recounted. However, we need to further ask why the story was there in the first place. We need to explore why certain stories are next to each other. We need to mine the depths of the relationships and reasons behind the stories chosen. It is imperative that we don't neglect those stories we think we know so well merely because we are not sure what questions we should be asking.

Genre Balance

Let me begin with an example:

Exhibit A:

"Where am I?" Metaphysics says

No question can be asked unless

It has an answer, so I can

Assume this maze has got a plan.

If theologians are correct,

A Plan implies an Architect:

A God-built maze would be, I'm sure,

The Universe in minature.

Are data from the world of Sense,

In that case, valid evidence?

What in the universe I know

Can give directions how to go?

All Mathematics would suggest

A steady straight line as the best,

But left and right alternately

Is consonant with History.

Exhibit B:
For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone.

I would hazard a guess that as you read each of those exhibits, you did so with different perspective. You automatically saw and recognized that they demonstrated different styles of writing; or genre. You recognize the genres easily and almost unconsciously adapt how you read and understand each genre. However, we as Christians leave this very basic act of reading behind as we approach the pages of Scripture. God has encased His word in a book with many genres of writing. This provides depth and character to the truths contained and makes clear that God is not easily defined. The problem is that we approach the Bible in only one way. Generally we are most familar with the genre of letter in the Bible. Familiarity drives our comfort. Most of us would not feel comfortable reading a modern legal document yet at times it would be vital. The Bible includes genres of many kind; historical, narrative, epic, apocalyptic, letter, poetry, prose, prophetic, biographical and the list continues. Our mistake is usually one of two. We avoid the genres which we can recognize but don't understand or we interpret a genre incorrectly because we don't recognize it. We must all of us become better literary scholars so that our reading of Scripture is more beneficial. I will give two basic questions to ask as you read Scripture.

1.   What style of writing (genre) is this passage?
2.   What about this style of writing is unique and thus impacts how I understand?

I am willing to help you answer these questions up front so that your future readings are more enlightening. Let's not neglect God's word or mishandle it just because God is more creative than we are.