I often say unashamedly that the best thing UBF ever did for me was to arouse within me the utmost desire to read and study the Bible every day of my life. This passion for reading and studying and devouring Scripture has not subsided in me since I came to UBF and became a Christian in 1980.
Of course, without a doubt, this is God Himself pursuing me (Jn 4:23b) through UBF and through the influence of UBF people, in particular Samuel Lee. I am sorry if it is painful for some to read this, since Lee has hurt others directly and indirectly. But Lee did inspire me to love the Bible as the very “word of God” (1 Thess 2:13). Why God choose to use Lee to inspire me to love Scripture (Ps 119:97, 103; 1:2), I can only conjecture and speculate.
After 36 years of reading and studying the Bible I have observed in myself and others that it is too easy to do so habitually without expecting to discover anything new and fresh, and without getting much joy or excitement out of it. The Bible no longer challenges us or changes us or renews us (Rom 12:2), because what the Bible says is already set and settled within us, and that in our minds the fault is invariably with others, and not with us. As Oswald Chambers aptly says, “…we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled.”
I thought of this: being excited about the Bible after three decades of Bible study is like still being excited about your spouse after three decades of marriage.
Sadly, too many couples lose the joy of their marriage with the passage of time. Many–perhaps too many–divorce. Perhaps many stick it out without divorcing even if there is no longer much joy and intimacy in their marriage. But some surely still enjoy their marriage after many decades, and may in fact find their spouses still fun and happy to be with, and their marriage more enriching and fulfilling than ever with the passing of years.
But I digress. This article is not about a great marriage, but about genuinely enjoying studying the Bible after many decades of devoted study, as I believe I have done in UBF.
Yet I have to confess that over a decade or two ago–after 10-20 years in UBF–Bible study began to gradually feel more and more like the boring predictable “same old, same old” stuff. At the time I didn’t know why. But now I believe it was because I was studying the same old familiar Bible passages again and again, year after year, without much new insight or self discovery. I was repeatedly studying the same five books of the BIble (Genesis and the four gospels) and a few other very familiar passages in the epistles and the Old Testament week after week, month after month, year after year. I was especially reading and re-reading the same old UBF lectures and manuscripts, without seriously reading from any other sources or books or listening to any other preacher.
This, I believe, was why Bible study felt stale and was no longer refreshing to me. Bible study was no longer fresh and new but unbearably repetitious, highly predictable, infuriatingly uninteresting and seriously boring. Then I became more easily irritated, angry, upset, vindictive and impatient. Some people say that I might still be like that! O Lord, have mercy.
Nonetheless, only by the grace God, God has helped me to find fresh new springs of life through studying the Bible (Ac 3:19). When there is an overflowing abundance of new life through studying Scripture I know that God gives me contentment, confidence, assurance, fulfillment, satisfaction (Ps 23:1), security, stability, faith, peace and joy that cannot be found anywhere else, other than in Him. This abundant life comes, not just from the words in the Bible, but from His living Presence in me and in our local community by His Spirit (Gal 5:16, 18, 25, 22-23).
Did I oversimplify or overstate (or understate) my sentiments regarding my decades of Bible study in UBF?
Do you find new joy and excitement in studying the Bible over time?
This would likely not be among those who comment on UBFriends, but this Facebook comment might perhaps represent many who have gone through UBF, even after they have left UBF:
“UBF has been a blessing to me, not only because it was there that I became a Christian and I married (my wife) and I made many Christian friends, but also because of all the Bible studies and the memorization of verses that have remained with me and that help me in my daily spiritual struggle.”
My desire to learn scripture has grown much more once out of the UBF Bible Study System. I am grateful that there was always an emphasis on the Bible in UBF. From growing up in UBF I always knew the Bible was something special and precious, but it wasn’t enough. I remember studying the Bible with my Mom and she couldn’t answer a lot of my questions. Or she would ad lib to the stories and add details that would come from Sunday messages and they made me question everything. Her Bible Studies were great and life-giving, but I needed a little more. A little more deductive study instead of solely inductive.
For example, learning the background and the context of the Bible now has added another dimension. Learning about the Midrash from David Weed and Jewish thought, in general, has made reading the OT so much sweeter. I also really enjoy our Isaiah studies on Sunday @ WL. David shared a really good podcast about the Exodus story that helped me see the beauty and richness of the Torah, even just by learning the Hebrew names of the books of the Bible and the implications:
http://www.onbeing.org/program/avivah-zornberg-the-transformation-of-pharaoh-moses-and-god/6258
The Bible has so much beauty, but sometimes we only scratch the surface and never get to the essence.
Like Ben, I would commend UBF for its commitment and intensity of interaction with Scripture. But, as MJ suggested, the methods and attitudes left much to be desired, and often stifled my learning and growth. In the end, the activity became an idol and distracted attention from God himself.
Inductive bible study of same texts again and again with the boring question-sheets possibly bears the danger of quenching your thirst for God’s word – as paradox as it seems. I had a hard time with the question sheets that very often asked questions as if i was in language school learning Geman, with not much deep reflection but just repetitive study over and over again. Even though the word itself gave me lots of blessing, even during some boring sessions of 1:1 with question sheet. THE WORD is living, the question sheet cannot do much benefit in my view
Thanks for your comments. I think I realized something that I’ve never thought about nor realized before all these years!
Inductive Bible study could be or become rather stifling, constrictive, restrictive, narrow, rigid, oppressive, condemning and even illogical, unreasonable and unbiblical.
It really could suck all the life out of Scripture and God!
Ben, I think Libby’s comment isn’t really about inductive Bible study, but about the UBF-style question sheets. Inductive Bible study attempts to observe the details of what a passage says and build up an understanding from there. Question sheets are typically used by leaders to channel the discussion toward conclusions that support their agenda, while keeping other topics off the table. Using them can become the exact opposite of inductive.
If you want new excitement in studying the Bible, try this: Don’t study the Bible constantly for days, weeks and years. In fact, take a month or three off from studying the Bible. Heck, take a year off. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I know this is not an option for some who have chosen a vocation that requires them to write a sermon every week. But even pastors in *normal* churches go on sabbatical or go on 2 week vacations.
So in summary: If you want new excitement in studying the Bible, try not studying the Bible.
I have often heard people claim that Bible study is good for you, that it has all sorts of spiritual benefits, that you will be blessed if you study the Bible more, and so on.
But I haven’t seen convincing evidence that this is true. I’m sure that Bible study does help some to become better people, but it seems to make other people worse. And for some, it probably does real damage to their lives and character. It all depends on how you approach Scripture and why.
This recent article by Brian Zahnd is thought provoking. http://brianzahnd.com/2016/06/when-the-bible-is-bad-for-you/
For many current and former UBF members, I think it would be a good idea to put down their Bibles for a while to detox from unhealthy spiritual practice and seek God in other ways that are less comfortable and less familiar.
If it would be so helpful, then UBF leaders and members would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. At least the kind of Bible study that UBF conducts has proven to be counterproductive in becoming more spiritual and a better and more insightful person. Maybe that’s why it’s often abbreviated as “BS”.
Keep in mind that all kinds of cults started with “studying the Bible” and draw their legitimation and authority from pretending to “just study and follow the Bible.”
Think of the “Branch Davidians”, the “Watchman Bible Study Group”, etc. the list goes on and on, from extremely aberrant and harmful cults to UBF-like groups like the Boston Church of Christ (ICC). Even the Jehovah’s Witnesses started as “Bible Students,” and more formally as the “International Bible Students Association” (sounds familiar?).
So studying the Bible does not prevent any group from becoming a cult, and an extreme focus on “Bible study” seems to be rather a sign that a group is cult-like.
Thanks, Joe. Great article. If UBF uses Bible study to promote UBF (equally with or more than promoting Jesus), Lord, have mercy!
“The value of the Bible is that it is the word of God that faithfully directs us to the Word of God who is Jesus Christ. Jesus said so in John 5:39, 40. The Pharisees made the tragic mistake of making the Bible an end in itself. They used it as a collection of prooftexts to justify themselves while condemning others. They substituted the accumulation of Bible knowledge for actually doing the will of God. They weaponized the Bible and used it cruelly on their enemies. And modern day Pharisees do the same thing with the Bible.”
Emily Brontë’s quote is spot on regarding some “Bible teachers”: “He was, and is yet, most likely, the wearisomest, self-righteous pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake the promises to himself, and fling the curses on his neighbours.” — i.e. in some cases UBFriends!!
There is a way of reading the Bible that is bad for you!
* If you want a violent, retributive God, the Bible will give that to you.
* If you want capital punishment, the Bible will give that to you.
* If you want to hate your enemies, the Bible will give that to you.
* If you want divine warrant for your every opinion, the Bible will give that to you.
* If you want to be a smug, self-righteous, know-it-all, the Bible will give that to you.
* If you want assurance that only people like you are going to heaven, the Bible will give that to you.
And that’s when the Bible is bad for you!
In some of our UBF experience: “If you want UBF people to behave in the UBF way according to UBF core values imposed by some UBF leaders, the Bible will definitely certainly absolutely give that to you!!”
Dr. Ben, you should write an article about the concept of how”knowing God means to live a life that pleases God.” Remember how you said in the OT the notion of knowing God was not separated from living a life in God’s light?
Somehow in our society today we’ve separated mind from body and come up with this notion that you can “know” God intellectually and nominally, but not relationally. You can be “Christian” even though your life does not reflect the principles that Christ lived. You can know the Bible, but not know God. You can get a PhD in marriage, but not have a happy one yourself.
Knowledge of God/theology has become a weapon/badge to wear/key to political success/social acceptance instead of the key to spiritual formation and growing in the likeness of Christ. Why has this “knowledge” failed us?