Confessions of a Biblically Illiterate Pastor

I grew up in the Baptist church…

Let me correct that, I grew up AROUND the Baptist church. I know Baptists can be testy about their Sunday School attendance awards. My infrequent visits wouldn’t have qualified me for any award other than the Prodigal Son plaque. Once I could drive, I became more involved with the youth group because it was a place to go.

I listened to the Bible stories and had a basic understanding of the major players: Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Peter, and Paul. If pressed, I could even recall a parable or two and maybe a miracle of Jesus. But I really didn’t understand the Bible as a whole. I didn’t understand the timeline of events. And I couldn’t make the connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Honestly, I was blind to how the Bible has impacted the entire globe, and how it has especially shaped Western culture. I had zero understanding of theology…I just knew that Jesus died for my sins, and I was “saved.” I know that’s “enough,” but I needed a cure for my biblical illiteracy.

After a failed attempt at college and then six years on the road as a “professional” musician, it was time for me to settle down and get a real job. It was 25 years ago when I found myself in full-time ministry, an associate pastor at a non-denominational church…or what we called Baptist-with-a-band, which was ground-breaking in the 1990s. But there was still that nagging problem of being biblically illiterate, and now a pastor!!! Or what some people call, a worship leader. (I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Sorry worship leaders.) But I really was a biblically illiterate worship leader.

I had a big FULL heart for Jesus and his church, but I had an even bigger EMPTY toolbox for ministry. I didn’t know or understand the Bible like a pastor should. I was like a carpenter who couldn’t work a skill saw, or a plumber who couldn’t turn a wrench. I wonder how many other pastors, church leaders, and laypeople feel this same way?

For years I stumbled along, learning on my own. And then I began attending a seminary called YouTube. Oh, the things you can learn on the internet. And oh, how confusing it can all be. Certainly, YouTube wasn’t the best choice to begin studying theology and doctrine, but I learned a little here and there.

I was so desperate to understand the Bible better that I started an ecumenical Bible study at a local coffeeshop and invited folks from different denominations and perspectives to come and read through the Bible with me. This pastor just needed some help learning how to study and make sense of the Scriptures. And I wanted to hear what all the other denominations had to say. Was I the only biblically illiterate pastor in the world? I needed help.

Then a friend showed up one day, Dr. Evan Posey, and he suggested I try cemetery. I mean…seminary. No offense, but I thought seminary was where good-hearted pastors went to die, only to be resurrected in cap & gown as self-righteous “know-it-alls” whose job it was to grow their congregation’s knowledge but not their grace. I thought the smart Christians were all about education and no action. I assumed that if your brain grew larger then your heart grew smaller. And maybe that happens at some seminaries and Christian colleges…but that was NOT my experience at Luther Rice College & Seminary.

Not only did I experience world-class academic professors who are content specialists in their fields of study, who have helped me overcome my biblical illiteracy, and who have equipped me with the tools for ministry…I also found the faculty to be some of the most sincere, faithful believers I’ve ever encountered.

From moments in Dr. William Wilson’s lectures that felt more inspirational than informational…to intense conversations with Dr. Joshua Stewart where we discussed our personal relatability to flawed Old Testament characters and our tangible angst (and hope) that we shared with the writers of the imprecatory Psalms (these are the ones where the Psalmist prays for utter destruction of his enemies…yikes…but who hasn’t “felt” that kind of retributive anger before, right?) This modeling of academics with a lived-out faith and an honest worship has assured me of a real hope in Christ that does not disappoint.

In May 2023, I finally graduated with a Master’s degree in Christian Studies. I have stuffed a ton of biblical knowledge into my tiny brain, but surprisingly my heart did not shrink. With the encouragement of these and many other professors at Luther Rice, my heart for Christ has grown. My heart for others has grown. And my soul has been awakened to the great need for teachers and preachers who are biblically literate and who can teach others the vast treasures hidden in the Scriptures…namely, Jesus.

And now with my head and heart in alignment, like Paul, “I am CONVINCED that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8) I want others to know this truth. And I want others to understand the Bible better and how it truly affects our daily lives.

I’ve learned that biblical illiteracy is at an epidemic stage in our country. I wasn’t alone in my ignorance. Very few parishioners, much less average non-churched citizens, understand these sacred and ancient texts and their importance to our culture.

Across America church attendance continues to decline which means fewer and fewer Christians are learning the basic stories of the Bible in their places of worship. And school systems have worked harder to keep the Bible out of the classroom. But there was a time when we learned “about” the Bible in our schools. Not to covert the students necessarily, but so they would have the background knowledge to better understand how Western culture came into being, and how it operates now. This knowledge, or biblical literacy, helped shape our morality, our laws, our politics, our art, and our literature. The truths of Scripture affected the way we treated one another with dignity and respect. Ask yourself, has our society has gotten “better” and more “moral” since we’ve become less and less interested in the Bible?

I realize the Bible in the hands of corrupted power structures has been used to justify evil in the past; and there is no excuse for that. But we are well aware of those traps now and can create checks and balances to keep the less-glorious parts of the past from repeating itself. I’m simply saying, maybe it’s time to give the Bible another chance.

Not everyone needs to attend a seminary (although I’d make a case that as many clergy who can, should), but I believe we all need a little more biblical literacy. I’ve seen how a better understanding of the Bible can light a flame for community unity, for helping the less fortunate, for creating better art, and for changing our behaviors toward one another. I believe it’s time we work to irradicate biblical illiteracy in the pulpit, the pew, and the public sector. I am committed to passionately working toward that end in whatever opportunities God provides and permits.

Are you ready to give the Bible another chance?

 [This OpEd was originally published in The Covington News, Saturday June 3, 2023.]