Being Bored With the Bible

There is far more than many can imagine

Many Christians erroneously think they've reached the depth of the Scripture once they believe they have got the big ideas down. In my early forties, I believed I had the big stuff down. I had been out of the fellowship since I was 28. So, going back to church was like an extensive refresher course.

I returned to the body of Christ through a local congregation. I enjoyed and was moved by good teaching. I felt challenged and I longed to know more. But there was nothing particularly ground-breaking. It was just a reiteration for this Baptist boy. Granted we should implement what we know and I accept my responsibility for that. I'm not so great at that. My dedication to congregating waivered again.

I didn't leave my Faith but I saw the Church on the whole as checked out, almost isolationist. Church was a retreat to normalcy ...and that's it, an escape. Pastors are afraid of speaking out about monumental issues in our nation, clueless Christians do not recognize or refuse to see the dire situation we are in, and churches trying really hard to be cool.

After many viewings of online sermons, it seemed like the pastors/preachers were trying really hard to make people see the same old verses/thoughts over and over again are relevant to their lives. I agree that they are important. And the people all along the spectrum of education and intelligence are like yeah, we get it, now what? They are bored with the Bible.

I strongly believe that Christians believe the Bible is boring somewhat because of the aforementioned things. So they don't see the importance of going deeper because they think they know all the important stuff. They seem unwilling to go deeper and they’ve been led to the shallows by pastors who want to keep people in their seats. I believe people in the seats crave depth but the pastors are protecting their congregants from the Bible. Many don't see its relevance to the modern world.

But I also believe there is a longing for depth in the life of Christians of Churchianity. They just don't think it's the Bible. Caught up in sports, sitcoms, etc. is a manifestation of that deeper longing or a buffer to tone down the feelings of longing for more depth in life. I mean this "longing” in the C. S. Lewis sense “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

Lucky for me one night about 8 years ago I was scrolling through YouTube and found an interview with Tom Horn of Skywatch TV. His point of view was the first of many dominoes that came tumbling and rippling into my life as I began a journey I'm still on today. He's one of about 30. Chuck Missler, Michael Heiser, Gary Wayne, Derek Gilbert, Timothy Alberino, L. A. Marzulli. I could list many, many verses that I used to read right over but I never play down or skip over Genesis 6:1-4 now. My paradigm deepened and widened in ways I could never have imagined. One of Heiser's books is titled "I Dare You to Not Bored Me With the Bible." Using another quote I often hear, "reading the Bible again for the second time."