Direct Answer
The transcript does not spell out personal, relational, or church-wide costs in detail, but it indicates that approaching Scripture this way is difficult because it requires admitting we have preconceptions and refusing to defend a system. It may cost us the comfort of certainty that our inherited framework is automatically correct.
Support from Transcript
- Bercot says, “We can’t have a blank slate until we first admit that we don’t have one.” - He acknowledges, “It’s hard for most of us to admit we have preconceived beliefs.” - He says he would once have “vehemently denied” having preconceptions. - He defines a blank slate as having “no theological system to defend.” - He adds that it means having “no prior conclusions to which Scripture must be molded.” - He admits, “That is a very difficult state to obtain.”
Discussion Follow-ups
A group could discuss what makes this difficult: fear of being wrong, fear of disagreeing with one’s church, or fear of losing a familiar doctrinal identity.