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<\/a>By a round-about means, a conversation on Facebook<\/a> among bibliobloggers led to Tim Bulkeley<\/a> offering a variation on the famous<\/a> Dead Parrot Sketch<\/a> from Monty Python\u2019s Flying Circus<\/a>. He wrote:<\/div>\n\nPreacher: This Scripture, Sir, is not dead, merely sleeping, or somewhat lethargic.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCongregant: No I tell you! It\u2019s dead, deceased, karked it, it has kicked the bucket right out of the stadium\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
At which point I immediately thought two things. First, the phrase \u201cIt\u2019s been nailed to the pulpit\u201d crossed my mind, followed promptly by the desire to share what Tim had come up with on my blog.<\/p>\n
In the academic study of any text there is a process of disenchantment (learning to use our critical facilities, to analyse, to probe and in some cases dissect, in a way that increases understanding of a text but often at the expense of the magic it once had for us) and reenchantment (learning to appreciate the text as a living, vibrant thing even after becoming acquainted with issues, aporias, inconsistencies and other things that are part of all human literature). The Bible is no different, in one sense, but in another, getting from enchantment to disenchantment can be more of a challenge, as can getting from disenchantment to reenchantment. Sometimes assumptions about\u00a0the Bible\u00a0being the \u201cliving Word of God\u201d make people resist learning more about what the Bible really is, while for others,\u00a0discovering the humanity of these texts robs them of everything that made them interesting.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>\u201d and discover the ability to encounter it as a living, vibrant, challenging and provocative text when viewed from the perspective of such a \u201csecond na\u00efvet\u00e9.\u201d\u00a0And so I find myself wondering\u00a0whether anyone\u00a0might have interest in putting together a Monty Pythonesque \u201cDead Bible Sketch\u201d that explores and illustrates that theme of the Bible\u2019s deadness and\/or aliveness in a humorous manner.<\/p>\n