Alexandra AdairI wholeheartedly agree with this statement. My experience in different churches is helpful when addressing the increase in biblical literacy needed. Depending on the theme of the message, there are different ways in which scripture is presented. Sometimes pastors like to make a point and then just cite a verse on the screen to back up their statement, which can be neglectful of the context of the verse. On the other hand, another church I’ve attended is called a “Bible church” and makes the point to go through the text word by word each week and study one book of the Bible for months. This helps people more deeply understand each book and the context of each verse, but it can be time-consuming and hyperfocused for however long it takes to finish that one book. I believe a mixture of these approaches is necessary, as we tend to look at a verse and mold it to our own personal theology when we’re not given the entire story, but sometimes being so zoomed so far into one book can blind us to the fuller picture. Furthermore, I think that making comparisons between two books that recount the same events would be extremely effective in increasing biblical literacy. For example, reading 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles at the same time would help people to understand the structure and importance of both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah and how and why the Lord blesses both even though the Messiah came up out of Judah.
