What is Relational Bible Study?

The relational Bible study method of engaging with scripture involves both sides of the brain for a holistic experience of linking our personal stories with God’s larger biblical story. True learning occurs only when both sides of the brain are engaged. This occurs best in the medium of story. The outline and events of the story involve our left brains. Because most of our secular learning has been geared toward our left brain, we are comfortable with this kind of structure and use it more often than our more creative side.

Try these four simple steps: (1) Imagine the scene. (2) Identify with one of the characters, either as a participant or as a spectator. (3) Find the Good News or the new question for yourself in the story. (4) Give the story a name to remember your learning. (It will be different if you take another part or are in a different place in your life the next time you read it.)

As we use our imagination to enter the scene and connect with the characters, our right brain is activated, and we experience flashes of insight and different dimensions of the story. When both sides of the brain are being used as they are in relational Bible study, we experience God as our creative source in a new way. Henri Nouwen says, “Rabbis guide their people with stories and the story creates space. We can dwell in a story, walk around, find our own place…. Story opens a door and offers space in which to search, and boundaries to help us find what we seek.” Biblical storytellers experience this as they learn and tell the story. Identifying with one of the characters in the story can sometimes open the story for a different interpretation. Imagining myself as a spectator at the raising of Lazarus or at the wedding at Cana has allowed me to discover a more human picture of Jesus. Becoming the man by the pool, I hear Jesus asking me if I want to be well. This requires a different response. I realize some people are nervous about using their imagination in Bible study for fear of not being accurate or reverent. I believe God has given us the gift of imagination, and I believe he expects us to use it.

Using this method has opened the Bible for me in a variety of ways. As I imagine myself in conversation with Jesus, I feel his love for me. As I take different parts in the story, new questions come. I will never forget the first time I was taught this method in a small group setting. We pondered the account in Luke 5:17–25 – the story of the men who cut a hole in the roof to lower their crippled friend into the crowd to meet Jesus. As we imagined the scene, the person on my left described the plaster falling down his collar as he looked up at the hole. In step two, the person across from me described what it felt like, as a cripple, to look up into the forgiving eyes of Jesus. The person on my right described how it felt to be on the roof anxiously watching the crowd’s reaction. I felt a surge of energy as I entered this Bible story. The small group sharing was deep and intimate. I heard, saw, and experienced “Your sins are forgiven!” Thirty years later, I still remember this life-changing encounter with scripture.

Over the years, the four basic steps have expanded somewhat. The principle is the same, however, and serves to help you find yourself in the story.

I. Listen

Listen to the text for the human drama and the setting for it. Enter the story with all your senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Find yourself in the scene. Use a commentary to get some historical background. Read around the particular text to “get a feel” for its placement in time and the world view (and God view) of participants.

II. Reflect

Reflect on relationships between characters in the story and where you find yourself. Perhaps an image or phrase tugs at your consciousness. Let yourself feel the tension, feel the drama unfolding. Watch and listen. Imagine dialogue. Notice details. Recall related incidents. Let the story expand in time and place, in complexity.

III. Connect

Connect some element of this biblical story with your own life experience. Share your story. Notice the connections. Watch for a sense of hope or “good news” for you. Do you have a new sense of God? Of yourself? Of your relationships with others?

IV. Act

Act on your insights. Plan a specific response, whether large or small. Let the words become flesh in your own life.

This description is reprinted from Nancy’s new book, Call is Not a One-Time Thing. This year, all four relational bible study columns will come from this new resource. Read a short form of a Bible study from Nancy’s new book.

Nancy Boyle is a relational Bible teacher and member of the Elder Council of Faith At Work. She is also a workshop leader, Christian Education Consultant and lives in Columbia SC with her husband, Mac.