Bible Study and Knowing God — Kristi Mast — Ep. 172

In this episode, we discuss whether academic study of the Bible helps or hinders our faith.

Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Anabaptist Perspectives. I'm joined by Christy Mast up in Boston, Massachusetts. So on this episode, we'll be discussing why study the Bible in college. Uh, so Christy, I will just jump straight into the first question and, uh, we'll see where this goes. Um, so yeah, tell us a little bit about, uh, your history in college. What are you doing currently? Um, and why did you choose the path that that you've chosen as far as field of study? Yeah, so I knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to go to college. Um, I was always just thrived in an academic setting, loved learning, and, um, wanted to do, I knew I wanted to do more of it after high school.

Um, I also am actually a third-generation college student, which I think is somewhat unusual for conservative Anabaptists, but I think even just that, it was definitely, it wasn't like it was expected necessarily, but, um, it wasn't abnormal either. Through grade school and high school, I cycled through a lot of different, um, ideas for what that college, uh, experience would look like, from research biologist to medical doctor to cultural anthropology, um, and a number of things in between that. Following graduation, I still didn't know what exactly I wanted to do, so I went to Faith Builders, uh, with a couple ideas, but hoping that, uh, Faith Builders would give me a really strong foundation that I could launch off of, but then also hoping that while I was there in my studies, I would find the thing that really clicked and made sense, both from a mission perspective, but then also from given my giftings and interests.

Um, so while I was there, it did exactly that for me, um, super formative time for me, and I realized that really at the heart of what I want to do is I want to do whatever I can to help people in general, but especially women, um, grow in spiritual maturity. At Faith Builders, I received a number of just really basic Bible study tools and skills that opened up the Bible to me in ways that I just had not experienced before. And I don't say it lightly that it really transformed my relationship with the Bible, just learning how to study it, um, in really simple ways. That combined with my, um, desire to do what I could to serve the church.

Once I kind of like gave myself permission, um, to think about going down the path of biblical studies, things just really clicked. Um, and I realized that scriptures, so maybe this is super obvious, but for me, it felt like a revelation that scripture is one of the most tangible ways that we have to know God, and it's just this huge treasure trove that is, you know, bottomless. And so that's what led me into biblical studies. Following Faith Builders, I actually went back to Kansas, taught for a year, um, in the high school there, and then transferred to Satler College, um, finishing up my, I'm able to complete my degree here in three years. And so I'm currently finishing up my, um, degree here.

It'll be a bachelor's in biblical and religious studies. I'm going to just read a quote from something else you've shared. When it comes to studying the Bible, especially for for women, um, you said something to this effect, um, that for some women, the issue isn't that they don't study the Bible, it's just that there's a stifling indifference. Um, can you talk about this assessment? Um, in what ways do you see that expressed and what methods have you found to, uh, I don't know what the right word would even be, but methods to resist that feeling, um, I guess is is the way to say it. Yeah, so this is actually, um, a quotation from my friend Carissa, who I was in conversation with her, and I thought this really captured a lot of women's experience.

So if you don't mind, I'm actually going to read a little bit more of that quote. Yes, please. From Carissa. She says, this was in a text conversation. So she says, "In my experiences from my specific community and general observations about our Mennonite culture at large, I found more more of a growth stifling indifference than explicit discouragement." That is explicit discouragement against studying the Bible. Hmm. And then she goes on to say that people tend to fall into the expectations others have of them, and I'd say that rule loosely applies here. Women aren't expected to study or actively participate in the realm of theological matters. It isn't normalized. So it follows, unfortunately, that many don't.

I don't like to make blanket statements and throw all of us in the same bucket, but this sadly seems to be the majority of conservative women's experiences. So obviously that is painting with a pretty broad brush, but I definitely run into that a number of times from women who would definitely resonate with this assessment and this sentiment. And because I don't think that in many communities, most communities, there's explicit discouragement against women studying the Bible. I don't think anybody would say that, but the expectation isn't there and there's just not a culture of it. And so you asked, like, how is this expressed? Well, I think to just give a couple concrete examples, I think sometimes it's expressed by the men being in the living room, you know, hashing the sermon or church issues, and the women are in the kitchen talking about food and babies.

Again, I love food and babies. They're great things to talk about, but we often see that that divide. Or sometimes it looks like, you know, a woman who really wants to engage staying in the back of the church, talking with the other ladies about, um, mundane life, again, which is great, um, but staying back there because she feels a little bit too intimidated to go and enter the circle of all men who are gathered around the speaker, um, you know, discussing what was just preached or shared. Or sometimes it looks like in lady Sunday school, when you ask a hard question, just kind of getting blank looks and then moving on to the next issue because I don't think we really know how to deal with, um, or process through some of those things.

I think, yeah, it expresses itself in many different ways. I think also when we go out into or when we encounter people who have a different faith than us and they ask us difficult questions, um, I know some women don't feel equipped to even find the answers to those questions because it hasn't been taught or modeled very well for them. And I want to make sure, like, I I don't think this is just a a women's issue. Um, I'm sure that there's plenty of men who have experienced the same thing. But I do think it is particularly a problem for ladies in conservative Anabaptist circles because there's not the same expectation there that they're going to be in church leadership or, um, giving devotionals or preaching that kind of thing, which I think is good.

But yeah, I think there's just more of a culture there that works against it. So how to, um, resist it, I guess, was the last part of the question. I think there's a lot of of different things, um, that we can do. I think, and we talked earlier today about, um, studying in community. And I really think that bringing men and women together around the word, um, studying together, digging in together is a really good way to do that and to inspire more passion and love for the scriptures. And I think specifically for women, like asking if we can ask ourselves, like, is the content of our faith, is scripture exciting to us and something that we want to engage in?

And if not, then why is that? What's the reason for that? There could be so many different reasons. But then also, I think when we encounter a difficult question to actually really press in and search for the answer rather than or just kind of putting it back on the shelf, um, but to to dig in into Christian community and, uh, work it out together. But I also think that men do have a role to play here as well. I don't think it's just that women should be taking more initiative or pressing in, although I think that's probably the heart of it often. Um, but it's so empowering for women, I think, when men invite them into those conversations and ask for their opinion on whatever the discussion is and just make space for them.

And I guarantee you that, um, everybody's going to be enriched if if both men and women are together fully engaged in studying, learning, understanding, and and doing church life together, if both genders are able to bring their whole self, um, to the conversation, to the table. It sounds a little bit of what you're identifying here. Some of it's just practical, like learning good study skills.

Am I understanding that properly? Because I wonder if that maybe maybe we haven't been very good at passing on the principles of how to just study and dig into things well. Do you think that's a major component? I think so. Absolutely. I know before going to Faith Builders, I felt that. I felt really intimidated. Um, you know, people would talk about, "Oh, you need to make sure you're reading scripture in context." And even just that, like, that really intimidated me. And I'm like, "How do I know if I'm taking it out of context or not?" Like, yeah, yeah. Um, how do we actually read and access and understand scripture in in good ways? And I do believe that the the most important thing is the Holy Spirit, right?

Like, He is able to open our eyes. But I think you're absolutely right that we haven't always been taught or learned great study skills. Yeah, I was just I was just thinking, you know, a more recent example, like, um, my wife had was teaching Sunday school the one time, and it was just really fun to sit down and because I had just finished, uh, my studies. Uh, I finished my degree in biblical studies. I was like, "Oh, here's some things I learned about how to study this particular thing, and this is a new thing that I've learned," and showed it to her. And then she really enjoyed it. I was like, "Wow, this is great."

And then she was able to take that to the science school class, the lady's science school class, and then show them. And then it was, you know, then they had a good time, like, taking apart this thing and looking at it a little differently and, "Oh, figure, okay." And then, you know, and they really enjoyed it. And then it was really fun then because then after the service, you know, we ended up having a little conversation afterwards and and my wife and I, um, and there's some people there and and we're unpacking this thing and and discussing it. And it was really fun and it really boiled down to nothing earth-shattering. It was just, "Here's this study principle and a few resources that I didn't realize."

And I was able to share that with my wife and then she could share it with the other ladies. And it was it was really powerful. And I was like, "Huh, I wonder if we made a more intentional effort." Um, you know, maybe we could we could help people see scripture in a better way. And I definitely don't have it all figured out, so I would need someone to to show me as well. And and that's I don't know what all the solution is to these things. Um, but yeah, it makes me wonder and it makes me think, you know, there there's some work to be done here, I suppose. Mm-hmm. For sure. I do not think that everybody needs to go to Bible college or get a degree, but I do think that just like like that example you shared is such a good example of how having people who have committed time to studying the Bible in our congregations is so valuable for the whole congregation, um, and helps bring kind of the level up of everybody, um, to be more confident and excited about, uh, scripture and also just to better rightly divide the word of truth.

I think it's really exciting the ripple effects that that can have. Well, and this goes straight, really straight into the next question that that I had, um, listed here. But what have you learned from your, I guess, more academic angle, your academic engagement with scripture that has translated practically into normal church life? Um, maybe get get pretty hands-on with that, um, some specifics that that we can take away from this. This is a great question. And, um, there's so many things, um, that I could think of, but I think I'll try to keep it to three kind of different buckets. So first of all is just passion and love for scripture and for the church.

And that, I think, has been something that that studying in an academic setting has given to me. Um, a friend of mine was just asking me the other day, she's like, "Okay, so you do you do this like all the time? Like this is basically your full-time job right now?" And I'm like, "Yeah." She like, "Does it ever just become really mundane and boring and just like hum drum?" But it's like scripture is supposed to be spiritual formation. And there's certainly times that it feels like that. Overwhelmingly, the the dominant experience has been that studying the Bible in this way has just given me so much more joy and love for scripture. And then by extension for the church and for the body of Christ.

And I just have no shadow of a doubt that the church is the most beautiful and like the best thing on on the planet. And so much of that has come from studying the word, um, in these settings. And yeah, the the story of scripture is the greatest story ever told. So I think just that confidence, um, and that, um, conviction has been something that I think already I've been able to bring to, um, my local church and to my friends and, um, and relatives and to communicate just the beauty of scripture and of what God is doing. It's so easy to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty. Like church life is hard. It's really hard to be able to zoom out and see that big picture and that big vision.

That leads kind of into the second thing, which is just, I think, studying in an academic setting has given me a lot more confidence, um, when it comes to scripture and also just confidence in the middle of that nitty-gritty when things look really hard and difficult. God is working. He's he's doing like this is not new. Um, the problems that we're facing is not new. I'm able to have more patience, I think, with with the church and then hopefully also remind my fellow brothers and sisters to you that, um, this is this is not a not a new thing that we're experiencing that many other believers and and God's people have been through similar things many times before.

But also just with many of the like the questions that I think we've all probably wrestled through at some point with the faith and with scripture, specifically the reliability of scripture. Um, I've just I've gained a lot of confidence in knowing how to, um, wrestle with some of those questions and also how to walk through those questions with other people. I think I might have said this earlier, but I truly believe that when you're embedded within Christian community, your questions are usually like that's the perfect place to wrestle and to question your faith and to it's okay to ask hard questions because truth doesn't need doesn't need a defender. And if you seek, you will find if you knock, the door will be opened and you don't have to be afraid of those things, I guess.

And so that's that's been a huge thing. So along with that confidence, I think the third thing that I've gained from my studies, um, that I'm able to bring to the local church is just resources, whether that is like Bible study skills, like we were talking about a bit ago, or like, "Hey, you're, you know, wrestling with this theological issue.

I know that here's like a solid book that, you know, lays it out and maybe it will help you," or just knowing how to kind of sift through the current, whatever the current hullabaloo is about. Just I feel like I'm able much more to help people. Resources that have helped me or point them in the in the direction at least, um, they might find some some help for that. So those are three definitely three big takeaways. Just thinking here as as as we summarize this up and, um, this is the last question I have here, just kind of to to bring all this together. So when you encourage women and and and really the church community as a whole to study the Bible more, what goal do you have in focus, uh, when you say that?

Well, I guess to put it simply, why? Why why should we be doing this? It's a great question. I think really the goal is spiritual formation and maturity and to look like Christ. And if so if spiritual maturity means looking like Christ and looking like God, right, becoming more like God. And if scripture is one of the most like tangible, accessible ways that we have to know God, then that means that like studying the word of God, studying scripture is one of the best ways that we have to actually grow in spiritual maturity and to become more like him. Um, so I 100% do not believe that studying scripture is an academic exercise. I really, really think that when it's done right with the power and the aid of the Holy Spirit as the interpreter, it's it's a transformative experience.

We actually are transformed more and more into the image of Christ. And really our end goal, right, is to know God and to make him known. That's the goal of everything. And I think studying the word is a really important piece in that, um, as we partner with God to spread his glory and his worship across the whole earth, um, as his image bears, as his icons, his priests. So Paul honestly says it best, as always, and um, he says in Ephesians 3, I'm just going to read a few verses. Um, the goal is that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

And I think studying scripture is a really is one of of a number of different ways, but a really, really important way that we are able to attain that goal. Yeah, that's a that's a powerful place to leave this episode. And thank you so much for coming on and sharing these things. Um, thank you all for listening and watching. Uh, as always, you can find all our content on our website at anabaptistperspectives.org, and we will catch you in the next episode. Thank you for joining us for this episode, and thanks to our donors and partners for making this possible. For more episodes, please subscribe or visit our website at anabaptistperspectives.org. You can also leave a comment or review to help more people find our content.