Deconstruction and the Bible

Our old relationship with the Bible - Take a moment and think about a Bible verse you’ve carried with you at one point in your life. What about it captured your attention and made it worth remembering?

Grounded in the Word - For many of us growing up in Christianity, memorizing verses was one way we stayed “grounded in the word.” Those verses were reminders of how we should live, how we were oriented in the world, or how we made decisions. We might not feel that way now.

So what does the Bible mean to you now? This is the question isn't it. The question you might not have been able to ask in your tradition. As your faith changes, how is your relationship with the Bible changing?

Literally? - Many Christians are taught to read the Bible literally, without error. This is a non-traditional way to read the Bible. In fact, in the Jewish tradition they practice wrestling with the meaning of the text through midrash.

Put it in Context - The Bible was written in a certain context, in a particular place, by a certain people, in a certain part of the world, in a certain time period, in a different language…are you catching where I’m going? The Bible is a complicated read.

Understanding the Bible - We can get to a place of understanding when we let the Bible speak from it's time and place. It wasn't meant to be monolith, but a guide that we can learn from to help make the world a better place.

Read more about changing faith and deconstruction at mending.substack.com