The story of God has been given in written form for individuals to know God and deepen a relationship with their creator. The whole of scripture is put together for a purpose. It overarching purpose is to show the identity of God, the current state of being, the “Good News”, and what is to come. It can and should be used to assist in daily living and the development of believers.
As Christianity has evolved throughout history it has been affected by individuals, groups, and denominations. The practice of church, it’s teachings, and it’s reading of scripture have all been areas effected by mans interpretation of faith and practice. Today many evangelicals engage scripture on a regular basis however the content that they use and engage in is frequently quite limited. The whole of scripture is rarely used to present God story and to teach gods people and to develop new believers. As referenced below there are some typical books of the Bible that are more frequented than others in today’s church.
To expand upon a his discuss to reference other thought here are articles that outline the most frequented texts.
The difficulties in today CHRISTIAN church is that it’s members and regular attenders are not exposed to the whole cannon of scripture. Pastors & church leaders struggle to engage the whole word of God from their pulpits as well as in their congregations regularly. This creates a struggle to train and develop Christians fully in their knowledge and understanding of God, the Trinity, scripture (its collection of writings), the “Good News”, and guidance for Christian living.
The most frequent and obvious example that can be pointed to is that many congregants looks to separate themselves from the OT in light of perusing a “what would Jesus do” mindset rooted in the NT. Some are loosing their understanding of the nature of God and connectedness to the full picture of today’s functioning. Current theological mindsets make it difficult for individuals to mature in their faith and practice. The robustness of the nature of God and the workings of God cannot be fully recognized or experienced with a limited subset of texts.
As the Christian church continues to find its foothold in today’s culture, the necessity for believers to understand how others see God and the Bible is quite an important part of living out the faith. To love God and love others does not necessarily require someone to be understanding every word of scripture or passage. To teach others and to develop disciples does require a familiarity and ability to engage the whole of scripture as the whole of scripture is what will be taking into account when culture chooses to argue against God. If Christians are to convince the current culture that God is who God says God is, then Christians must pursue a deeper understanding which requires discipline and effort.
Why are some scriptures valued more than others? Why are certain theological concepts illuminated more than others? The answers can be many and long to unpack. Some simple answers are fear, anxiousness, insecurity, and insufficient leadership. Individuals and the body of the Christian Faith lacks unity and depth across the countries, denominations, and churches. These factors are some that effect the current state of biblical knowledge, understanding, and application. Openness to communication and unifying has a body of believers is critical to use of all of scripture. Christian seminary’s are good examples. There are professors and educators who have specific specialties and disciplines they focus on but are unified in their development of their students. Pastors, leaders, and parishioners need to function the same. Many have different gifts and functions. Looking at the whole body together is the way scripture needs to be understood and used. Unification of the whole is better than the individuals parts. Getting back to a full view of scripture allows for the full body to function together.