Why do many Christians elevate the practice of "quiet time": isolated, often hurried and brief daily Bible-reading? Jen Wilkin—author, speaker, and leader of many Bible studies—challenges this practice. She believes that, rather than instilling deep Bible literacy, the typical "quiet time" encourages shallow reading and pursuit of instant gratification in the form of cheap satisfaction or vague encouragement at the expense of comprehension.
Reading any book this way would not yield a thorough grasp of its themes, narrative, characters, and worldview, Jen says, so why read the Bible this way? While affirming its inerrancy, Jen cautions against treating Scripture like a magic 8-ball. The practice of quiet time is indeed formative, but not necessarily for the better. She proposes an alternative method of Bible study involving, among other things, extended (if not daily) reading and regular input from other careful Scripture-readers.
Show notes:
Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.
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A Realist Christian Response to the Horror of Trauma (Scott Harrower)
Why Scripture Doesn't Talk about Law, Religion, or Belief (Joshua Berman)
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A Philosophical Theology of the Old Testament (Dr. Jaco Gericke)
Introducing Dr. Jeremiah Unterman (CHT Fellow)
Is the NT Just Stoic Philosophy? [Corrected]
Group Therapy for Anxiety in the Old Testament
Economic Thought in the Bible
Is God Perfect? Does that Matter? Peter Leithart Workshop, Part 2
Is God Perfect? Does that Matter? Peter Leithart Workshop, Part 1
Is God Perfect? Does that Matter? Peter Leithart Lecture
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Hebraic Thought in Christmas, Part 2: Humble Moms and Shepherds
Nerdy Episode: Baby Yoda, Christmas, & Hebrew Narrative
Hebraic Thought in Christmas, Part 1: Endangered Babies
The Idea of Christian Calling
Hebrew Ethics: Radical in the Ancient Near East, Yet So Familiar to Us
Genesis as Rationality in the Ancient Near East
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