The hardest part of the journey of seminary for me has been and will continue to be unearthing beliefs and challenge myself to ask why I believe what I believe. On top of that is asking myself how I read the Bible. Do I read with answers and ideas already in mind? Do I try to make the text say what I believe? Do I open myself up to the possibility that what I thought the Bible said, isn’t actually what it says?
This is not a faux tension that I am creating years in the future to make for a better story about my experiences as a freshman in college. This was a real problem for me. What I had to figure out was how to read the New Testament. Sure, I knew how to read it devotionally and how to read it in search of proof texts for beliefs I held, but to this point I did not know how to simply read the text before me and allow it to speak for itself.
Or do I read it like Pregeant suggests in his book Reading the Bible for All the Wrong Reasons to gain a better understanding of how individuals fit in and a play a role in the creative process started in Genesis?
With a couple of days left in the summer, I find myself anxiously awaiting for the long class hours and the deep discussions, which will inevitably cause me to think and rethink and rethink what faith means to me individually and as a part of a community.
Although I don’t know for certain where the journey will lead me, I do know for certain that my studies will lead me to an expanded and deeper view of myself and my Creator.