Only 36 percent of Americans say they engage the Bible on a daily or weekly basis, even though 6 in 10 claim they want to read it. The disparity is due, in part, to people claiming they don’t understand the language, background, or history of the Bible and feel too busy to sort it all out.
But Harvey Cox, 85, an iconic theologian who taught at Harvard Divinity School for more than four decades, is trying to remedy this. In “How to Read the Bible,” reveals three primary ways of reading the Bible. Many lay people read it devotionally, attempting to extract inspiration and guidance. Bible scholars read it critically, attempting to excavate the meaning through historical and literary approached. Between these two are those who read the Bible contextually, combining criticism with history and spiritual significance. While there is no single right way to read the Scripture, Cox says, some ways are better than others. Here we discuss his thinking and how it can help every day Bible readers.
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