| Author: | John Riches |
|---|---|
| Published By: | SPCK (London) |
| Pages: | 112 |
| Price: | £9.99 |
| ISBN: | 978 0 281 06198 3 |
“Follow the advice in this book and group Bible Study will never be the same again” is the ambitious claim on the back of this book! The conviction of the author is that this method of studying the Bible together can unlock the skills and abilities of ‘ordinary’ readers to study the text together through facilitated conversation.
The book emphasises the importance of the context from which the readers are drawn; of the importance of attentive listening; of asking ‘open’ questions and of recognising that any gathering committed to the task will have between them the biblical, literary, people and life skills to approach the text.
The book shares, with passion, stories from around the world of how this has worked in different places - in South America and South Africa and in very different contexts, from prison to High School. In the UK, the initial focus for this study has been ecumenical groups in the south west of Scotland and accounts are included as to how groups came together and of the fruits of their meetings.
There are also helpful chapters which would apply to any form of Bible study - about how to read the text (behind it...attending to the text itself...in front of it) and some practical advice about setting up, facilitating and managing groups.
The book ends with some material to use in Advent and Lent. It’s here that I would have some questions. Seeing the format set out starkly on a page is not the same as that which has emerged from a group of passionate advocates working with groups they have been instrumental in calling together. It would be interesting to hear how those who have used the book found the process - a discussion on the ‘Ministry Today’ website would be one way of achieving this! The questions follow a similar pattern for every week and I wonder how in the spirit of the enterprise those using the material are to be encouraged to vary the resources according to their context - without losing sight of the aims and objectives described
Church Bible Studies are in need of an injection of fresh vision and ideas and a resource for doing so is to be welcomed.
You are reading Issue 52 of Ministry Today, published in August 2011.
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