I blogged earlier this year about a new Vineyard podcast, made by some friends of mine, called ‘The Vineyardists’. They’ve finally released the 6th episode, ‘The Bible and it’s Interpretation’.

This is a great episode, that anyone in the Vineyard who takes the Bible seriously should listen to, would be helpful for those wondering how folk within the Vineyard movement read the Bible, would benefit from listening to.

Without wanting to provide a spoiler, here are a few reasons why this episode is so worth listening to:

• It brings together a pastor (Luke Geraty) a theologian (Dr. Doug Erickson) and a New Testament scholar (Thomas Lyons) to have a meaningful conversation.
• This conversation is helpful and warm, but ultimately is concerned about what the Bible is, and what we do with it.
• The three conversation partners have a high view of scripture: ‘we want the Bible to master us, we don’t read the Bible, it reads us’, and approach the Bible from a position of humility.
• The three guys are involved in both local churches and the academy – this is an intergrating and helpful conversation.

I’m privileged to have met these three friends at various points – and I’d warmly commend this latest episode of their excellent (And occasionally hilarious) podcast to you.

 

Listen to it here

 

(If you don’t like listening to podcasts, or would like a list of ways in to reading and understanding the Bible, Luke wrote a helpful blogpost over on his church website.)

Beyond the podcast, I’d love to invite folk in the Vineyard movement to engage with the word of God.

Historically, regular readerS will know that I’ve been part of the Trent Vineyard in Nottingham, which has been fun. my wife and I were part of the Discipleship Year (now the ‘ZOE’ year) there. We were privilged to pioneer an event that publicly read Scripture, celebrating and inviting people to an encounter with, the Gospel of John. Part of the ‘Word Aloud’ event was a reading of Scripture that engaged and challenged folk. Part of it was an invitation to read the Bible. Having read through the whole Gospel of John, the team invited people to consider how we might hear and apply what was said. This included a list of things you could helpfully read and engage with:

Tim Challies and Josh Myers’ Visual Theology – a book about the Bible for people who don’t read books…

God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts – this book is a great, kingdom-shaped overview of the Bible, which is also available as a free small group video course/resource.

Beth Stovell and Stanley Porter’s Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views – Beth is a Vineyard scholar, and this book is a great way in to thinking about how to read the Bible (more technical)

Pete Philips from Durham has written Engaging the Word which is my current favourite book on ‘how to be biblical‘.

Krish Kandiah’s Route 66 – a snappy, readable and short introduction to the whole of the Bible by a justice-oriented friend of the Vineyard

How to Read the Bible for All it’s Worth by Fee and Stuart – a classic, often recommended in the Vineyard movement.