Reading the Bible in Context
Many people read the Bible faithfully and still feel unsettled.
They’ve spent years in church. They know the verses. They’ve heard the sermons and the explanations that are supposed to tie everything together. And yet something feels off — even fragmented. Like scripture has been reduced to isolated lines instead of a living story.
If that resonates, you’re not alone.
For many of us, the problem isn’t a lack of belief or effort. It’s the way we were taught to read the Bible in the first place.
I talk about this often because it’s part of my own story. For a long time, I assumed that if someone spoke with confidence, authority, or spiritual language, they must be right. “They’re probably more spiritual than me,” I thought, so I accepted what I was told without much resistance. Over time, that posture stopped serving me. It only took a few noticeable moments within my faith community — moments that didn’t quite add up — to trigger questions I couldn’t ignore.
When Scripture Becomes Soundbites
In much of modern church culture, the Bible is taught one verse at a time. A passage is lifted from its setting, paired with a modern application, and then used to settle a question or reinforce a conclusion.
This approach is usually well-intentioned. It feels practical. It’s efficient. It gives people clear takeaways — and most importantly, it is often done by some of the kindest, most sincere people you’ll ever meet.
But over time, it can flatten the text.
Verses begin to function like rules or slogans instead of parts of a larger narrative. The story that shaped them fades into the background, and what remains is a collection of fragments expected to carry more weight than they were ever meant to bear. Eventually, scripture itself can start to feel like a kind of do-it-yourself handbook for life rather than a story we are meant to enter.
What Does It Mean to Read the Bible in Context?
Reading the Bible in context means slowing down long enough to ask better questions.
Who was this written to?
What was happening in their world?
What story were they already living inside?
What assumptions would they have brought with them as they listened?
Before we decide what a passage means for us — or how it should shape our beliefs or behavior — we first take seriously what it meant for them.
Context doesn’t weaken scripture. It deepens it.
When verses are allowed to live inside their historical, cultural, and literary setting, tension returns. Meaning expands. Scripture begins to sound less like a rulebook and more like a story unfolding over time.
A Word About Prooftexting
One common habit in modern faith culture is prooftexting — using isolated verses to support a conclusion or settle a debate.
While this approach often aims for clarity, it can unintentionally silence the broader story scripture is telling. When verses are removed from their narrative, they can be made to say almost anything. That’s why sincere, thoughtful people frequently arrive at very different conclusions while quoting the same text.
Reading in context doesn’t eliminate disagreement. But it does cultivate humility. It reminds us that scripture was written for us to gain wisdom, not written directly to us, and that understanding it well requires patience.
What The Berean Project Is Exploring
The Berean Project exists to create space for a different way of engaging scripture.
Not faster answers.
Not louder certainty.
Not another system to master.
Instead, we explore the Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus, shaped by history, culture, and lived experience. We value context over soundbites, story over slogans, and process over instant conclusions.
This is a learning community for people who want to understand God’s story more deeply — and who are willing to sit with questions rather than rush past them.
What Participation Looks Like
There’s no single path here.
Some people begin by reading articles and reflections.
Others join discussions or learning groups.
Some simply observe quietly for a season or listen to the podcast.
There’s no pressure to agree, perform, or arrive anywhere quickly. Faith is not treated as a destination, but as a journey shaped over time.
An Invitation
If you’ve been looking for a deeper, more honest way to engage scripture, you’re welcome here.
Take your time. Read at your own pace. Follow the articles that resonate and set aside the ones that don’t. If you’re interested in an out-of-the-box podcast approach to working through the questions that keep circling in your mind, that option exists as well. We’re not here to sell you anything or make anyone feel uncomfortable.
As this project grows, we’ll be inviting new narrative discussions and forming local learning groups along the way.
This is an invitation, not an expectation.
Listen to a Conversation
If reading feels like too much right now, you can start by listening.
The podcast explores these ideas through real questions, stories, and thoughtful dialogue.