Here I offer a set of assumptions and suggestions for reading, understanding, and making creative spiritual use of the Bible.

1) The Christian Bible includes the Jewish Torah and prophetic and other scriptures, along with a selection of Christian texts, assembled in roughly its present form in the 4th century AD by the emerging Catholic Church as it became the state religion of the Roman empire. It is the work of many human beings over thousands of years, dating back to early Near Eastern civilizations that existed before the Jewish people. It is called “holy” because of the spiritual intentions of the people who composed its books and the devotion of readers. None of its authors had any idea that their works would be part of what we now know as the Bible. There were other early texts used in the early Christian church but left out of the “canon”, or official church list of scriptures. An important one is the Gospel of Thomas, a book of quotations attributed to Jesus.

2) The Hebrew scriptures, or the Old Testament, represent a religious tradition that is independent of the later Christian faith. The Hebrew scriptures aren’t about Jesus, although the Christian scriptures include many references to the Hebrew scriptures. To honor the fundamental differences between the two sets of scriptures doubles the spiritual significance of the entire Bible.

3) Anything in the Bible that looks miraculous or contrary to the normal functions of the natural world is not factual, but rather is mythological. In ancient times, the distinction that now exists between fact and fiction did not exist in the same way as it does now. The Bible does not ask us to “believe” it as if it were a collection of facts or a set of legal prescriptions that necessarily make sense outside their original cultural contexts. Rather, it challenges our spiritual and moral imaginations, inviting us to use it as a rich language for expressing our journeys of faith. Ancient biblical myths can have great power in positively transforming our lives today.

4) Hardly anything in the Christian gospels has a verifiable basis in history corroborated by sources outside the New Testament. The Gospels were almost entirely products of the spiritual imagination of first-century Christians. There is no way to separate the Christian scriptures from early Christians, who were a diverse community of beliefs and practices. To understand the figure of Jesus, to make sense of the New Testament and of early Christianity, we must understand the spirituality of people in the first-century Christian church. This requires grounding in non-doctrinal, academic scholarship.

5) There is much to be discovered in the Bible by engaging it with religious traditions outside the Judeo-Christian heritage. Exploring texts in other religions that resonate or differ with passages in the Bible can raise enlightening questions. The Bible is best understood and appreciated from the perspective of religious pluralism – the idea that other religions can be as good for others as mine is for me. In this context, the Bible can be seen as a vital part of the great global conversation throughout history about the relationship of human beings to ultimate reality. For example, read the Dhammapada (sayings of the Buddha) and the Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew and Luke) side by side.

6) Rabbi Jesus used the Hebrew scriptures freely and creatively. His “midrashic” method of interpretation, still used by Jewish rabbis, is instructive for Christians in interpreting the New Testament. Following Jesus’ understanding of the scriptures of his native tradition, the entire Bible becomes precious raw material, providing us with imagery, aphorisms, pithy parables, poetry, and narratives that we can use to awaken ourselves to higher levels of consciousness and kindness.

Reading the whole Bible is daunting – and not just because it is a long book! So here’s a selection of passages that give a feel for the whole document, and can whet your appetite for more. It’s best to read these passages alongside books that give an historical, spiritual, and textual background. For the Hebrew Scriptures, I recommend The Beginning of Desire by Avivah Zornberg and The History of God by Karen Armstrong, and for the New Testament, The Five Gospels by the Jesus Seminar and The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. The many books and articles published by the Westar Institute (Jesus Seminar) provide excellent non-doctrinal, academic analyses of the backgrounds of the biblical texts.

Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament):

Genesis (whole book – essential to comprehending the whole Bible)
Burning Bush: Exodus chapter 3
Ten Commandments: Exodus 20:1-4,7-8,12-17
The Aaronic Benediction: Numbers 6:24-26
Ruth’s Promise: Ruth 1:16-17
Elihu’s Speech: Job 37:14-24
Psalms: 8, 23, 46:1-2a, 10, 92:1, 95:1-2, 100, 118:24, 121
Holy Mother Wisdom: Proverbs chapter 8
There Is a Season: Ecclesiastes chapter 3
Celebrating the Sensual: Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) (whole book)
Prophetic Justice: Isaiah 2:2-4, 11:1-3a, 11:6-9, 40:1-11, ch’s 27-31, 61:1-2 – Amos 5:21-24 – Micah 6:8

New Testament:

Jesus: Beatitudes: Matthew 5:3-10
Jesus: Light: Matthew 5:16
Jesus: Love Enemies: Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus: Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13
Jesus: Do Not Be Anxious: Matthew 7:25-34
Jesus: Asking: Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus: With You Always: Matthew 28:20
Jesus: Children: Mark 10:13-16
Jesus: Communion: Mark 14:22-25
Mary: Magnificat: Luke 1:46-55
Simeon’s Blessing: Luke 2:29-32
Jesus: Golden Rule: Luke 6:27-31
Jesus: Law of Love: Luke 10:27
Jesus: Parables of Mustard and Leaven: Luke13:18-21
The Word: John 1:1-5
For God So Loved the World: John 3:16
Jesus: Love One Another: John 13:34-35
Jesus: Lay Down His Life: John 15:12-13
Paul: Hope: Romans 8:18-28
Paul: Hold Fast to the Good: Romans 12:9-12
Paul: God of Hope: Romans 15:13
Paul: The Body of Christ: 1 Corinthians 12
Paul: The Love Chapter: 1 Corinthians 13
Paul: Be Kind: Ephesians 4:25-32
Paul: Armor of God: Ephesians 6:10-17
Paul: Put on Compassion: Colossians 3:12-17
James: Doers of the Word: James 1:19-25
John: God Is Love: 1 John 4:7-12
John: He First Loved Us: 1 John 4:19-21
John of Patmos: River of Life: Revelation 22:1-5

Rev. Jim Burklo is the Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. He is the author of OPEN CHRISTIANITY: Home by Another Road (2000) and BIRDLIKE AND BARNLESS: Meditations, Prayers, and Songs for Progressive Christians (2008) His blog site: MUSINGS – his personal website: www.jimburklo.com .

With the second annual Wild Goose Festival – a 4-day gathering of thousands of progressive Christians and others in the woods of North Carolina celebrating justice, spirituality, music and art – just a month away, we checked in with festival executive director Gareth Higgins to find out what’s new this year, what he’s most excited about, and why all of us should be there.

(And should you need any more incentive for attending after reading Gareth’s beautiful responses, Patheos is running a special 15% off promotion this week:  Go to the Wild Goose website here  http://wildgoosefestival.eventbrite.com/ and click the reddish “Enter Promotional Code” link.  When prompted, enter PATHEOS to receive your discount on your full weekend ticket.  Patheos will be there – we hope you will be too!)

Gareth, the Wild Goose Festival is just a month away! What are you most excited about this year?

So, there’s music and there are speakers and there’s social justice advocacy and there’s great conversations… and that’s all wonderful… but that’s not what i’m most looking forward to. What i’m most looking forward to is the feeling of community on the site, people living together for 4 days who want to promote the common good and who become more than the sum of the parts. Perhaps my favorite element of that is bringing a lot of people together from a lot of different backgrounds, and perhaps especially when you get quite well- known public figures in a space with the rest of us, just being the same and relating equally with another.  Last year we had Oscar winners and Grammy winners and NYT best-selling authors in the same space with people who haven’t yet got a recording contract or are struggling to get published, yet there was no ego in the room.  Just a sense of at this intersection of justice, spirituality and art, we all want many of the same things. We want to learn and experience a deeper love of God, neighbor, and self.

What new plans do you have for this year’s festival?

The biggest change is that the festival will run through Sunday night.  Last year it ended at noon on Sunday; this year we have a full afternoon & evening planned (for the same price).  It’s going to have a more relaxed vibe.  Sunday evening we have three of our most amazing musical acts of the weekend: Over the Rhine, Gungor and David Crowder.

The second thing is that we’ll have more unstructured space.  We wanted more space for people to just be together and have their own conversations.  The third thing is, if you have something you want to talk about, you can sign up for an opportunity to give a talk, or host a converation.  Or you can sign up and request a topic to be talked about and we’ll try to find soemone to host that converastion.

What are some of the speakers and musicians you’re most excited about showcasing this year?

Dave Andrews from Australia is someone I admire and enjoy a lot; Cathleen Falsani, who will do some stuff about spirituality and friendship; Nelson and Joyce Johnson who are distinguished civil rights activists from Greensboro, who were involved in the first Truth and Reconciliation Commission that happened in the US regarding a civil rights march that took place in 1979 where the KKK killed 5 of the marchers.  Other speakers I’m excited about: Alexia Salvatierra, an immigration rights activist and Lutheran minister; Aljosie Knight, an activist and poetic thinker around the role that women can play in shaping the beloved community; and Vincent Harding, elder statesman of the civil rights movement, a deeply humble man, a man who understands democracy and part the role ordinary peole need to play to make American what it can be.  He’s a man in his 80s who’s seen it all, and still has a vision of hope.

Musically, Phil Madeira is coming who just did an amazing collaborative album called Mercyland with artists like Emmy Lou Harris, Dave Perkins, and Civil Wars.  He’s coming with some pretty famous musicians he worked with on that album. Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens, a Brooklyn-based gospel band.  And Michelle Shocked, a festival favorite.

Our film program has also expanded this year and we’ll be premiering a surprise new film.  We’ll also have an on-going arts program, and stuff for kids and youth.  We invite people to treat the festival as a choose-your-own adventure book. People can get overwhelmed when they see the program, there’s so much stuff.  But you don’t have to go to everything.  Just navigate according to how your spirit leads.  And if all you do all weekend is hang out at the coffee bar or beer tent, you’re going to have a great experience anyway.

So if someone’s still sitting on the fence about coming to the Festival, what would you say to get them off the fence and buy their tickets?

I think there’s nothing like this in the United States. A festival at the intersecton of justice, spirituality, and art that is still small enough to have a conversational experience with people they would never otherwise meet, and that invites participation from the people who come.  It’s not a conference.  There are no Madonna mikes here.  It’s an interactive space, it’s a community and it’s still embryonic, so if you want to shape something, this is a place wthere you can do that.

What are your ultimate hopes for the Wild Goose Festival?

We are really striving to invite, work with and collaborate with marginalized voices, particulary women, people of color and LGBTQ people.   We’re not going to get that perfectly right – the Beloved community is our goal, it’s not our starting point, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a goal. It’s become clear that this festival is stewarded and planned by people, most of whom have had experiences of marginalization in the church.  It’s not just important to bring them to the table — first of all, there’s a problem with the use of the word ‘them;” this is “us.”  It’s important to ask whose table is it, what shape is the table and who gets to determine the shape of the table, and to recognize that multi-culturalism and diversity and the kaleidescope of God’s creation is the point, it’s not just a topic or an option, it’s the point of what we’re doing.  I’m hesitant to say that because I know we won’t acheive it now, or the next year, or the year after, and I know that it can sound arrogant or presumptuous.  So all I can say is that it’s a humble offering. We are trying to be attentive to the spirit of God,  and feel that is where the spirit is leading us.

Some people have asked us “What does the Wild Goose Festival believe?”  It’s an unusual question becaue I’m not sure a festival can ‘believe’ anything.  But what we’ve done is written up something called the Wild Goose “Invitation”.  It’s not a doctrinal statement or a set of beliefs. It’s an invitation to build a a particular kind of community.  We’re not saying we’ve got this right, we’re saying this is what we’re dreaming of.  You don’t have to endorse or fully believe or accept anything on that statement, but if you have a vision for beloved community, and have an interest in justice, spirituality and art, then come and be involved in shaping this thing … as long as you know the key value we’re promoting is God, neighbor and self.

One last question — yesterday, you announced a second festival site near Portland this coming Labor Day Weekend!  Why did you choose Oregon and what are the plans?

The United States is a really big country!  And there were a number of people from the Northwest who came to North Carolina last year and expressed to us a desire to do something like this on the West Coast.  So, we’re trying a different kind of experiment. We’re not going in and imposing on the Portland/Seattle region; we’ve been invited to collaborate with a steering committe of local people.  You know, there’s just a thirst for this universal spirituality, justice and art space, and for a fresh hearing of the teachings of Jesus, whether you’re a Christian or not, whether you have a religious commitment or not.  I’m really excited we’re doing this — i’m just really excited to share this festival with more people.

Visit the Wild Goose website for more information about this year’s festivals.

Several years ago, before I moved to Denver and began working at Patheos, I had the great privilege of serving as the Program Manager for the Programs In Christian Spirituality at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in Northern California. Among the many life-giving (and life-changing) programs we hosted was a continuing ed event called Before the Cradle and Beyond the Cross: A Lectionary Retreat for Preachers. Every summer for a week, pastors from all across the country would come together to study – and pray – the lectionary for the year ahead, in community with fellow ministers.

In addition to a morning keynote speaker — an expert on the texts being studied — each day included spiritual practices and prayer designed to integrate the head learning with the heart learning, led by Program Director and Spirituality Professor Sam Hamilton-Poore. Afternoons included ample time for rest, walking, and reflection.  A contemplative prayer service began and ended each day.   Participants regularly spoke of being spiritually and intellectually renewed and refreshed by week’s end.

With this year’s retreat just a couple months away (July 23-27, 2012), I invited Hamilton-Poore to share more about this program, and why combining sermon prep with spiritual formation is so important.

Why does your retreat focus on preachers?

Preachers have an incredible responsibility; they read and interpret the scriptures on behalf of their communities.  Most of the preachers I know work very hard at this, trying to grasp and articulate the message of the scriptures—and in ways that speak directly to the needs and dynamics of their communities.  On the one hand, preaching is a great privilege, and the people who attend our retreat really enjoy this aspect of their ministry.  On the other hand, preaching is also a regular source of anxiety.  Sunday after Sunday, week after week—trying to answer the question posed to the prophet Jeremiah: “Is there a word from the Lord?”

So what does your retreat offer preachers?

Several things.  We offer them a time and place for renewal.  Our campus is beautiful, quiet, and restorative.  Our schedule, though pretty full, offers a slower rhythm of rest, worship, study, prayer, with plenty of open time for lingering conversations or reading or walking or even napping.  But at the center of all this is an opportunity to personally reconnect with the scripture and the power of the gospel alongside other men and women who are committed to the ministry of preaching—who, like you, share in its privilege and its challenges.

You say that preachers will “study and pray” the lectionary texts.  What does this mean?

Somewhere along the way—and for various reasons—“study” and “prayer” became separated in Christian practice and imagination, including in different approaches to scripture.  But throughout most of the history of preaching—from Augustine to Calvin to the present day—the scriptures can’t be adequately studied without also praying over them and with them, asking for the guidance and insight of the Holy Spirit.  And the scriptures can’t be adequately prayed with if the person hasn’t also given his or her disciplined attention to the texts themselves—their literary forms, historical contexts, and so on.  Rather than being two separate actions, studying and praying are interconnected, overlapping dynamics of the same practice: trying to understand and interpret the scriptures for today.

So how does this all happen at your retreat?

The short answer is “with the Spirit’s help”.  The longer answer is that we try to plan our days and times together in ways that encourage the overlap and interconnection of study and prayer.  Each day begins and ends with a contemplative style of worship, centered on a single text from the coming year’s Gospel—this year it will be Luke.  Each morning until noon, participants are engaged by a biblical scholar in exploring the historical, literary, and theological contexts of the Gospel, while also paying attention to how the Spirit may be speaking to them in and through the text.  Our biblical scholar this year is Dr. Annette Wire, emeritus professor of New Testament at SFTS, a very accomplished teacher and scholar.  After a long, mid-day break, preachers gather in small groups to practice and process various scripture-centered prayer practices such as lectio divina or something we call “embodying scripture,” again using texts from the next year’s Gospel lection.  These small groups are each led by trained and experienced spiritual directors who are also preachers.

By the end of the week, then, the participants will have studied and prayed together quite a bit.

Exactly!  And our hope is that by the end of the week all of our preachers will feel personally and professionally rejuvenated, not only for their ministry of preaching, but in their own spiritual journey with the Living Word.  They’ll also leave remembering that they’re part of a community of preachers, all committed to the same ministry.

Learn more about this retreat for preachers here.