Learning as a Necessary Weapon

I thought this was meaty and wonderful in my Grow time this morning. I’ve been thinking a lot about how so much of human questioning about the Bible and God seems to be a function of the cultural backdrop we’ve been raised in and upon which we have fashioned our ideas, whether we realize it or not. This is personally convicting and illuminating to me in my own journey. I can’t help but be influenced by my culture to some extent.

This passage from C. S. Lewis reminded me of the importance of becoming an ardent reader of the Bible so we can make sense of the shifting tides of messages our secular culture sells us and sells our kids. Of course, I believe we should first and foremost be a reader of the Bible for its transformative power as a pitcher pouring life into our own hearts. But secondly, I believe it may be a worthy endeavor to become a student of the Bible because of its design as the ultimate culture translator, the ultimate lens that can help us see truth in spite of the limits or slant of cultural influences that have subconsciously taken up shop in our own minds and perceptions.

The Bible is meant to be transcultural, and as such, we would expect it to sometimes offend many of our culturally-confined conceptions of “fairness” or “justice” or “goodness” and other notions, because our culture will interpret these differently over time. This was incredibly meaningful to me this morning as it relates to my frequent befuddlement as I’ve embarked on a journey of spending time daily reading and studying the Bible for myself. I’m learning more and more to keep going and rely on it as a rock, even in the limits of my own knowledge or understanding of certain parts. And in beginning to study the Bible recently, which I’ve never really done consistently as an adult, I am starting to see how it truly does change me and change my perceptions of…everything else. It’s amazing.