Paul Jones is Principal of Carey Baptist College and is part of Royal Oak Baptist Church in Auckland. Watch this video to hear Paul reflect on the importance of biblical literacy or read his words below.
What is biblical literacy?
I think that when some people hear the term biblical literacy, they think of opening the Bible and just knowing what everything means… but it's more than that. Think of computer literacy or financial literacy. The goal is not just to understand the computer manual or to read a financial spreadsheet. The goal of that competence or knowledge is what?...to operate the computer! The goal is to get the most out of it. A financially literate person understands money, budgeting, investing, and so on. So, literacy helps you engage… to get involved… and live life to the full.
And as you'll know, there's cultural literacy, there's emotional literacy, and a bunch of others, each with their own rewards.
What’s your vision for a movement of biblically literate disciples?
In Hebrews 5, the writer says, you ought to be teachers by now, but you're still on milk. You still need someone to teach you the basic truths of God's word all over again. Ouch! Those confronting words aren't mine… that's Hebrews 5:12 describing Christians who are not biblically literate. And it's interesting that the writer describes those who are still on milk as being inexperienced in the word. Solid food, he says, is for the mature. It's for disciples who've integrated life experience with reading Scripture. Milk only gets you started. But unfortunately, a lot of Christians never really get onto solids. So, a movement of biblically literate disciples is about two things. On one hand, it's about understanding Scripture. But on the other, it's about living different. Biblical literacy is not just in the mind. It's about behaviour as much as it is about belief.
What kind of framework would underpin that vision?
A key concept here is that Bible reading and Christian living are two sides of the same coin. Building on that concept, I think the Church would benefit enormously from a framework for thinking through Scripture that at the same time provides a series of lenses for looking at life. A simple framework that can be used to dig deep. A shared framework that can be used in youth groups, Sunday schools, Bible study groups, a sermon series, family or personal devotions…all of it. A framework like that would enable people of all ages and stages in their Christian discipleship to actively share their commitment to being immersed, baptized if you like, in the biblical story that tells us who we are and where we're going, our identity and purpose. That's the vision.
What could this look like in practice?
Ah yes, where the rubber hits the road! With a common framework for the whole church, not only would we have a shared language for talking about how the Bible applies to all of life, but we would have rich biblical foundations for courses on marriage enrichment or parenting… for relieving poverty and housing issues… for creating music and art… for understanding human sexuality… how we engage in matters of politics and social justice…
All of these aspects of Christian discipleship should be informed by a shared commitment to biblical literacy. It's the foundation! So that when these issues arise in our lives — and of course they will — we can respond, whether as a mission organization or as a congregation, a Christian not-for-profit or a college. We are all informed together by biblical principles and truths.
Image: screenshot from video.
