Welcome to Day 2356 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom - Theology Thursday – I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible - Introduction

Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2356 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2356 of our trek. The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Starting today, I am beginning a new segment called Theology Thursday. Utilizing excerpts from a book titled: I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible written by Bible scholar and professor Dr. Michael S. Heiser, we will invest a couple of years going through the entire Bible, exploring short Biblical lessons that you may not have received in Bible classes or Church. Today, we will introduce why this study is both essential and relevant for us individually and the Church worldwide. So, let’s jump into our introduction. The Bible is a wonderful book. Its pages reveal the epic story of God’s redemption of humankind and the long, bitter conflict against evil. Yet it’s also a book that seems strange to us. While God’s Word was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. It’s been my experience as a father, gramps, entrepreneur, lifelong Bible student, seminarian, youth minister, church elder, and pastor; I have come to realize that most people don’t know what to do with the odd, perplexing, and perhaps frightening passages in Scripture. We tend to simply skip them. Yet by doing so, we abandon our responsibility to grasp and teach the entirety of Scripture—this book we believe to be the inspired Word of God. As a consequence, believers tend to learn only the basic truths taught in the Bible. That is the milk of the Word and not solid food, as is mentioned in Hebrews 5:12, “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” My objective on Theology Thursday will be to help us consume Biblically solid food. Recent studies from the Barna Group demonstrate a growing rate of biblical and theological illiteracy in the Church at all ages, especially for those under 50. Biblical and theological illiteracy contributes to less engagement with the Bible, less appetite for its teachings, and more confusion and skepticism. Many Christians know the indispensable parts of the storyline of the Bible and the gospel message. Yet they are lost when it comes to the remainder of the Bible—especially the Old Testament, which comprises a full three-quarters of the book. Some believers try to mend this knowledge gap. They might read through all the notes in a study Bible or use various tools to study Hebrew and Greek words. Yet those are the exceptions. Many people, after years of inaction, get bored with the Bible. I began my serious study of the Bible nearly 50 years ago as I attended a Christian College and have been a student of the Scriptures every day since. Over the subsequent decades, I have discovered this was not true for most adult Christians. This even holds true for those Christians who had grown up in the Church. They’d heard sermons, attended Sunday school classes, and listened to countless messages at youth groups and camps. In their minds, they’d heard it all. And in one sense, they had. They’d heard all the items covered in Christianity 101—hundreds of times, that is, the milk of the Word. Now that I am teaching as a Pastor every week, I can see that many adults are thinking, I dare you not to bore me with the Bible. I also publish my weekly messages as the Tuesday podcast episode if you want to follow along with what we are learning together during our Sunday services. I have accepted the challenge. Teaching lessons at Church and other settings with so much to discover and think about in Scripture is thrilling. Those I teach need to understand that Bible reading is not Bible study, and that genuinely understanding much of the Bible requires seeing it in its original context, not filtering it through a familiar tradition. After my limited time teaching others, I pray they’d keep probing and discovering. The lessons that will make up Theology Thursday on the Wisdom-Trek Podcast for the next couple of years will satisfy the statement, “I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible.” I trust you’ll enjoy them—and, of course, not be bored. Reflect… If you found this podcast insightful, subscribe and leave us a review, then encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and, most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal. As we take this trek together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Everyday! See you next time for more wisdom from God’s Word!