The Bible: what it is and how it should be read today

A Bible fit for human consumption...

Recently, I presented a four-part series on specifically Christian spirituality. This is a follow-up post that focuses on the place of the Bible in that context, reflecting on the history, the “shape” of the two canons, how this “library” of ancient texts has been misunderstood and misapplied (especially since the 16th century), and how it should be received and reappropriated intelligently today. This is an updated, newly revised version of the third chapter of my book, Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World (Eerdmans, 2014). The last portion in particular, with its additions, is — I feel — especially of note.