Have you ever been part of a 'book club'? They may or may not be the preserve of the middle aged and middle class, but many people use book clubs as a chance to gather together, and explore a great story in great company. People get to share their joys, frustrations and questions about what they're reading. It makes the experience communal, fun, and arguably more engaging.
What if you went to a Bible book club?
That's the innovation explored by the Bible Society, who have launched #BibleBookClub, an initiative that encourages people to invite their friends to join them in reading a book of the Bible together.
Talking about the prospect, theologian and author of book club's study content Dr Paula Gooder said: "The Bible is full of books, but often we only read small sections of them, and there are some books many of us never go near. I want Bible Book Club to remind people that the Bible is theirs to own, read, question and discuss – and if that's over a favourite drink with a group of friends, then all the better!"
Here's what the #BibleBookClub is, and why it's an excellent idea.
Reading Together
Historically, God's word has always been intended for communities. "It is not good for man to be alone", and so God frequently calls people into community and addresses them as such. We see this in the people of Israel, the crowds and disciples who followed Jesus, and the early church communities we meet in the New Testament letters.
#BibleBookClub emphasises the value of community in reading the Bible together. As they say in their video, "When we share our thoughts and experiences, we discover things that we've never seen or thought before."
Even if all it seems you have to share is frustrations and a lot of questions, everyone benefits when those are brought to a group discussion, and wrestled with together.
Of course, anyone who has ever been to a Bible study discussion group may not think that 'reading together' is particularly revolutionary. In some ways it isn't, but that isn't the point. In an increasingly individualised society where Bible reading may often be relegated to being a purely personal task, the value of reminding people about reading together shouldn't be underestimated.
The Big Picture
As it says in the video: "The Bible is made up of lots of books, but often we only read it in small sections. This can mean we miss out on the bigger picture."
Another excellent aspect of the book club is that it reminds people not to simply pull out their favourite verses or passages of the Bible out of context, but to look at the 'big picture' of the stories, and see the overarching narrative that runs through all the stories of the Bible. Reading books as complete books and not just as collections of verses can be a refreshing way of approaching the Bible. It's more likely to make sense, and you'll get a deeper, clearer sense of the themes and ideas that the author of that book is using. You'll be challenged too, by reading books that previously you might have avoided, as well as better understanding the ones that you love.
You might start appreciating all the irony and repeating cycles at play in the book of Genesis, or you'll learn to really inhabit the longing of Lamentations. Perhaps you'll find yourself thoroughly schooled by the wisdom of Proverbs, or experience the existential crisis of the writer of Ecclesiastes. You might start noticing how the Gospel writers wove their stories about Jesus together in different ways, and consider what they were tying to emphasise as they did.
Hopefully you'll start "bringing the Bible to life one book at a time."
The book club is best experienced of course by actually doing it, as intended as a group. Thankfully, you can do that right away, since the Bible Society has made study guides for all 66 books of the Bible available to download for free. Each guide contains key information about the contexts of each book, the central themes, useful verses, and discussion questions tailored to each book. Each well thought out and smartly presented, the Bible Society has made things remarkably easy for you, and has even suggested ideas on how best to get started. All that's left to do is to message some friends, and make some coffee.
And obviously, use the hashtag, otherwise it didn't happen: #BibleBookClub
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