Learning and Living Scripture
an Introduction to the Participatory Study Method
by
Geoffrey D. Lentz
and
Henry E. Neufeld
Energion Publications
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
www.energionpubs.com
Energion Publications
P. O. Box 841
Gonzalez, FL 32560
Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
All other scriptures were translated by Henry Neufeld for this volume.
Cover Design: Jeb Hunt, baxterselite.com.
EPub Edition
Print ISBNS:
ISBN10: 1-893729-36-2
ISBN13: 978-1-893729-36-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010923156
Copyright © 2010, Geoffrey D. Lentz and Henry E. Neufeld
Dedication
To our wives
Liz and Jody
who pray while we ceaselessly search
for better methods of Bible study.
The Participatory Study Series
The Participatory Study Series from Energion Publications is designed to invite people who wish to study the Bible to become a part of the community of faith that produced the texts we now have as scripture by studying them empathetically and with an aim to learn and grow spiritually.
The section Using this Book and the appendices are designed for the series and adapted to the particular study guide. Each author is free to emphasize different resources in the study, and individual students, group leaders, and teachers are encouraged to enhance their study through the use of additional resources.
It is our prayer at Energion Publications that each study guide will lead you deeper into scripture and more importantly closer to the One who inspired it.
– Henry Neufeld, General Editor
How to Use This Book
This book is a basic guide to Bible study. We start by presenting the basic principles of the method. These principles led us to develop this system and many of the exercises we suggest. We hope they will help you as well.
You will also notice that we provide exercises for a number of passages. Don’t limit yourself to our suggestions, but do work through them. You can use the same idea on another passage, or create similar exercises for yourself and your study group.
The idea is for you to find your own way to get involved. Be creative. It doesn’t hurt to use your imagination as long as you remember what is imagination and what is grounded in the text.
For each lesson, begin by reading the text. (There is one exception, which has special instructions at the beginning of the chapter.) Then choose some exercises. If you are working with a small group, divide the exercises between various members of the group and have each one report the results back to the entire group.
This book is best used in community. You can study it by yourself, but sharing with others is a critical part of this method. If you are studying on your own, find people with whom you can share and discuss.
The first section, LEARNING, should be studied in order. The second section, LIVING, can be studied in any order or you can use it selectively.
For further study we provide a number of additional references in the footnotes. As a follow-up study, you may want to consider working through one of these suggested books or web sites. In these footnotes we have added the ISBN to the standard footnote format to make it easier for you to locate these books via online retail web sites.
There are a few terms in the book that are bolded when they first occur. These are terms that are not explained extensively in the text, but are included in the Glossary.
For additional help, please check the Participatory Bible Study web site, www.deepbiblestudy.com. In addition, both co-authors blog, Geoffrey Lentz at www.geoffreylentz.com, and Henry Neufeld at www.deepbiblestudy.net. You will find additional information there on many of the topics in this book, and questions are always welcome in the comments.
We pray that God blesses you, and we believe he will, as you study!
LEARNING
All scripture is inspired by God ...
2 Timothy 3:16
1 Introduction
Introducing the basic principles of the Participatory Study Method
Most Christians know that studying the Bible is a crucial part of their spiritual development. Many people feel guilty for not studying the scriptures as much as they think they should. We believe this lack of study is largely due to two things. First, many people lack the basic skills, study methods, and organization required to learn scripture. Second, the Bible is a complicated book with many different types of writings that can be read and interpreted in different ways. This book is designed as a guide to help with both of these issues.
You will find a full method for reading scripture and getting the most out of it. You will find references to many study helps including commentaries, Bible dictionaries, concordances, and study editions of the Bible. It can help you find a translation that meets your study needs. The method presented in this book can help you study the Bible privately, as part of a small group, or even lead a group Bible study. This series includes study guides developed on several books of the Bible that use this method.
This book also helps to make the Bible more accessible. Different parts of the Bible must be read in different ways. For instance a Psalm is to be read and interpreted in a different way than a chapter of Mark or Revelation. This book will give you details about many types of writing in the Bible and how to get the most out of reading them.
What
