How to start reading the bible.
Don't just pick it up and start from the beginning. The best way to read scripture is in community. Ancient times, judaism, minyan -- at least ten people to even worship together.
Suggestion - start with the Gospel of Mark. If you are alone, try reading it out loud.
Paraphrasing a quote from Jennifer Gamber's book, Your Faith your Life: Bible is not a self help book, a rule book, or a weapon. God's Word comes in image, in story or in metaphor. This way of reading makes the bible timeless. The Bible is a public book to be read in community.
Anglican theology based on Scripture, Tradition and Reason is like a three legged-stool or a three braided cord.
A good study bible is The New Oxford Study Bible, Version: NRSV - New Revised Standard Version.
Read and circle important words, get main themes, and try to focus what it means to me today. There is not one meaning that comes once and that's it.
Some Bible studies will find "the answer" and then never talk about it. For most Episcopalians the answer comes in the conversation.
The goal is staying in communication.
Answer to the question, have you been saved? From the book Jesus was an Episcopalian by Chris Yaw: I am saved, I am being saved, I hope to be saved.
Find yourself a "good bible based church." The Episcopal Church reads more bible than any other church.
Discussion: Evangelism is a tough because we don't have one place to point to which is "what we believe", except the Nicene Creed. For us its a process, and its hard to tell people, "come join the process." Asia and Africa are the fastest growing Anglican churches in our communion. Is it because they are more definitive in their approach to the bible?
Fowler's stages of Faith Development:
Stage 0 - Primal or Undifferentiated
Stage 1 - Intuitive- Projective
Stage 2 - Mythic-Literal
Stage 3 - Synthetic-Conventional
Stage 4 - Individuative - Reflective
Stage 5 - Conjunctive
Stage 6- Universalizing
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