I just read your post on why the Bible is insufficient for mission for the first time.

It was a good post, though I found it somewhat depressing. I’ve spent the past few years of my life studying the bible and seeking to understand it as best I can. I did this because I feel called to spread the gospel and I wanted to be “qualified”.

I feel the pain of the poor chaplain who lacks any other qualifications for his job other than a knowledge of scripture. In my blog I talk about various religious and philosophical issues. Whenever I talk about a religious matter I routinely cite scripture. Recently I’ve begun to realize that posts on religious topics dense with scripture citations are completely counterproductive if I want to win over people who aren’t already Christian.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that your blog has given me food for thought.

Hi Jimmy - Glad to have you here Jimmy!

I’m sorry it was depressing. I can see why it might come across that way, but I should probably be clear that I’m not saying having a strong knowledge of scripture is useless. On the contrary, I think it’s indispensable. Christians possess a hope that the world longs for, and scripture is the only authoritative place to find the knowledge of that hope. All I’m saying is, knowledge of scripture isn’t enough, and leading with your status as a minister or expert in scripture can be counter-productive.

To put it an other way, I’m saying we can’t just present people with scripture, we have to present them with ourselves as incarnational representatives of the Word. That means presenting them with Christ in you. Our task, then, is not just to know scripture, but to know Christ. If we do know Christ, then our understanding of when and how to speak scripture authoritatively will come as we follow his lead by the Spirit.

Regards.