Tim Tschida: The Garden of Scripture, Introduction
The Garden of Scripture
Introduction
What do you think of when you hear the word Bible? Do you think of flamboyant televangelists? Do politicians courting a voting block primarily come to mind? Do images of well-meaning aunts who post “biblical warnings” on social media that accompany horrendous art dance through your brain? Or maybe it’s not so much those things, but you’re a new convert to Christ making your first journey into reading, and you’re nervous because you won’t understand everything right away? You could be put off by the time commitment it takes to read Scripture. If it isn’t that, is it that you’ve been reading the Bible, but there are a lot of loud voices in our hyper-online world casting doubt on its authenticity and relevancy? Maybe you’ve been turned off by the vehement arguments of fundamentalists and progressives? If any of those things resonate, this book is for you. Although, this book is also for everyone.
The truth is, there are a lot of loud voices out there, articulate and loud, who do have opinions on what the Bible is, how you should read it, and its relevancy. Because we spend a lot of time online, things like algorithms expose us to these loud, articulate voices, some who have no trouble telling us what we want to hear and who have no issue affirming our doubts, all for visibility and profit.
What are the quiet people saying, though? By nature, I am a quiet person, but if you were to ask me what I thought about the Bible and what in the world God does with it, I would love to share my thoughts with you. That is, essentially, what this book is; the things that I have thought quietly over the past fifteen years of studying Scripture personally and academically.
As to why I’ve written this book, I know of a few instances in which authors have been inspired to write. Most famously, Tolkien was inspired to write his myths about The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings because he studied languages and had created his own. For me, though, the inspiration came right in the middle of trying to explain a concept in front of thirty-six or so strangers at a Christian men’s retreat. I thought, “Hmm, this would probably make for a helpful book,” and the Lord agreed, or perhaps I agreed with him. So, when I returned home from the retreat, I set to begin work on what is now this book.
There are a lot of loud voices out there, articulate and loud, who do have opinions on what the Bible is, how you should read it, and its relevancy.
Although I didn’t segment this book into parts, it could be said that the first four chapters provide a pathway for the firm rooting of Scripture to take place in a person’s life. What I mean is that I offer ways to help people think about reading the Bible and provide thoughts on what God is doing when we sit down to read it earnestly. For example, this book’s opening chapter asks the reader to establish a slower and more meaningful process of reading the Bible. In it, I focus on the importance of meditating on Scripture while framing the practice in a biblical view and showcasing its benefits for the practical application of Bible reading to our lives. That means defining what meditation is in Christianity and what it isn’t.
In chapter two, I contend that Bible reading isn’t a single-sided process but one in which God is also involved. The reason for that is not because there isn’t any literature out there talking about it, but because it was genuinely life-changing when I came to understand it, so I want to pass on my joy to others. To accomplish this goal, I attempt to guide us through how Scripture supports the Holy Spirit’s aid in understanding the biblical text for the believer and how prayer can aid the process.
Suppose we accept that God is involved when an individual and the body of Christ are reading Scripture. In that case, it should open up the idea of acknowledging a supernatural strangeness when wrapping our minds around what’s happening in the Bible. Chapter three then examines that type of strangeness and how defining human imagination can help us connect with the strange things written within Scripture. Hopefully, this will guard against any attempts of over-rationalizing, over-reasoning, and over-allegorizing every weird thing away.
When we stop reasoning everything away as if it’s swamp gas reflecting the light of the planet Venus, we open ourselves to the fullness of what God is doing in the Bible and through its reading. Chapter four explores the idea of fullness in Scripture and introduces the first of three successive short stories. This chapter’s story is aimed at helping us think more deeply about the Bible itself, its themes, and its events in terms of a relationship. For we can’t grow in relationships if we only understand a person in a “plain sense.” So, we should also determine to understand Scripture beyond a “plain meaning” to approach a fuller relationship with God.
God uses Scripture to disrupt and even shock our sensibilities when we get beyond plain meanings and readings.
Chapter six is sort of a spiritual sequel to the second chapter. It begins with a short story about how a diverse yet united people can turn against each other. Additionally, instead of solely narrowing in on the Spirit himself and his direct illumination of Scripture, I found it essential to widen the scope and highlight how the Spirit works within the global body of the church in terms of understanding Scripture. This is because of the Scriptural importance of seeing the body of Christ as a community and how different parts may have a helpful perspective on Scripture we may not have considered before.
We cannot discuss Scripture without acknowledging Christ because he is the Ultimate Word, whereas the Bible is the penultimate. Chapter seven, then, focuses strictly on Jesus and two specific things the Bible says Jesus is and what those mean for humanity. Incidentally, it’s also the longest chapter and, in my opinion, the most important to understand in terms of our identity in him and union with him.
Lastly, chapter eight deals with the writings in the New Testament beyond the gospels. For the willfully ignorant, the New Testament’s epistles, or letters, are accused of distorting Jesus’ teachings. Instead, the chapter demonstrates how the moral and ethical teachings within them are essential for the continuing work of salvation, which we call sanctification, in the lives of believers.
PR
This chapter is an excerpt from Tim Tschida’s forthcoming book, The Garden of Scripture. Used with permission.
Coming Next from Tim Tschida: “A Storm of Perfection”
Category: Biblical Studies, Winter 2025
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