What does it mean to center on the Bible?
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.
At 40 Orchards, our mission talks about creating circles for people to wrestle with the biblical texts. For many who’ve experienced faith shifts, that kind of centering of the Bible can feel complicated. In the blog post below, Steph & Lisa wrestle with the question, “What does it mean to me to center on the Bible?” As you read their responses, think about your own. What would be similar? What would be different? What are you still wrestling with in regards to how you hold and see the Bible?
Steph’s thoughts…
I don't think I'm alone in saying my faith has shifted massively over the last 15 years.
As my concept of who God is has expanded, and new perspectives have changed how I see the world, I am far from what once anchored me. Though it feels free to not be tied down by the things that once confined me, it also sometimes feels scary and lonely. Where will I end up if I'm not tied to those ideas anymore? Who will be there with me? Why can't it be easier?
For me, centering around the Bible feels a bit like a harbor. It's no longer an anchor that tethers me close to a particular set of quiet time rules or interpretation boundaries. Instead, it has become a trustworthy place I can go back to for refuge, direction, and rest, alongside others seeking to do the same. The harbor image gives me a way of seeing connection and freedom simultaneously. I still see hope and wisdom in the pages of the Bible when I am gathered with others who are willing to wrestle with what it has to say, and not settle for the easy answers.
There is still so much that frustrates me about how the Bible was written and formed. I don't know what to do sometimes with its contradictions and narrow-mindedness. But just when I am ready to call it quits, something mystical will happen. I'll dig into the Hebrew, and see a wild and expansive thread. Or we will study a narrative in the podcast or at a scripture circle and see a character carrying so much more than we knew was there. (Especially in those who have often been overlooked, like the women.) Or we will look at the words of the prophets or Jesus, and find deep resonance with the call to justice and love that we long for today. Or the Spirit will stir through the conversation. And I will feel renewed.
This doesn't mean the Bible is always front of mind for everything I do. I’ve learned to trust my instincts, my heart, my mind, and my body as ways that God also speaks. It’s messier than when the Bible contained “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” but it’s also more rich and real.
40 Orchards keeps me coming back to this harbor of the text, and my life is better for it. I love being part of a place with a mission statement like this.
At 40 Orchards, we create circles for all people to wrestle through biblical texts, so that— together— we can expand each other’s experience of what is sacred, whole, and good.*
We value equity, diversity, and inclusion. We acknowledge and embrace the complex questions of what it means to be human. No matter how you identify in terms of race, class, gender, sexuality, faith background, politics, and more, you are invited to come and wrestle with us. The only thing we won’t wrestle with is each person’s God-given goodness.
I feel the connection to a place I can come back to again and again, no matter how far out I sail, and know that I won’t be alone.
💛 Steph
Lisa’s thoughts…
Growing up in a Calvinist church (Dutch Reformed), there was a really high emphasis placed on the Bible. The Bible was authoritative and necessary for faith. Calvin also thought it had an “unpolished simplicity.” It never read to me that way. For so many years of my life, I thought I wasn’t smart enough to understand the Bible. The answer was to rely on churches and pastors interpreting it for me and teaching me how to read it.
Calvinism isn’t the only denomination I was influenced by – I’ve been a “member” in Lutheran, Evangelical Free, Non-denominational, and Evangelical Covenant churches. I’ve been looking for a church and a denomination to call home since my parents divorced when I was 8 (for over 40 years). Many of those denominations and churches would not allow women to preach or lead. This all reinforced the narratives swirling in my head that I wasn’t able to read the Bible or ask questions or come to my own conclusions because of my gender and my abilities.
Along with wrestling with all of that, I was witnessing and experiencing churches and pastors doing harm to people -myself included. There was a lack of integrity. What was supposed to be happening, what was preached about from the platform, what was written into contracts and employee handbooks just wasn’t happening.
In 2016, I went to my first Circle with 40 Orchards and discovered that I could read the Bible. I had unique insights. My voice mattered. I walked away with questions and insights that left me hungry for more. I didn’t know how profound that experience was in the moment, but it would change me, and support the changes I was looking for, profoundly.
In 2019, I chose to be outside of all of the denominations and churches. I also chose to attend seminary. Of course, I did. It’s exactly what you do when your faith world is on the precipice of exploding. One of the first difficult things that I had to decide was how I would describe what denomination I was getting ordained in. I had to pick a word to explain this for almost every class – and ultimately, I landed on untethered. It was the best way to describe that I was without a denomination and I still had much to offer in those classes. By the end, I would also add that I was good there and wasn’t looking for a denomination to approve me.
I’m still untethered. But I am also Bible-centered. It’s one of the things that I love and appreciate about 40 Orchards. I know that when I come into a Circle, we are going to be centered around the Bible. But that’s different than being centered around doctrine, denomination, or even religion. What we see, the questions we have, and what we take away are all unique to each person in the Circle. I find myself more curious about people, God and the Bible. I leave with more questions than answers.
As a chaplain who spends her time working with folks who are justice-impacted and/or incarcerated, being Bible-centered and untethered allows me to be curious and supportive of each person. Being Bible-centered means that I can see each person as made in the image of God and because of that, know that they have something to teach me about God. Being untethered means that interfaith and spiritual work is a joy and an invitation to expand how I see and how I experience God in the world.
♥️ Lisa
1 "John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion – Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
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