I became a Christian when I was 15 years old. I’ve been on a journey since then in search of truth. More often than not, it has been an intellectual pursuit - why my denomination and not the Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses and their Bibles? What about the Canon of Scripture? How do we know we have the right books? Why are there so many denominations? Who is the historical Jesus? Did He claim to be God? Did his Jewish monotheistic disciples believe He was God? Did the resurrection of Jesus and other miracles in the Bible really happen? Is the theory of Evolution true? Does God exist?
I’ve searched for experts (Christian and unbelievers) from different disciplines and have tried to listen and weigh the arguments.. especially in the past 20 years. One question leads to another.. the rabbit hole is deep! I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface and I’ve been double minded most of my Christian life! I’m thankful for people like Michael Kruger, Mike Licona, NT Wright, Tim Mackie, even agnostic Bart Eherman, and others who have taught me so much. At least I am feeling more confident in my faith now and had recently started feeling a longing for a more emotional, spiritual connection to God… but wasn’t sure how to go about it…I just knew I needed to advance from searching outside the Bible in order to trust it.. to really leaning into the Bible and what it says.
Just as I was going through this private struggle, a friend of mine recommended the Knowing Faith podcast where I was introduced to Jen Wilkin… my ears perked up when they mentioned Bible literacy… I felt sure I was Bible literate… I mean, I’ve listened to every single episode of the Bible Project and listened to Daily Audio Bible for several years… attend church and Bible class… and I mean I’ve been a Christian for 32 years! Surely I’m Bible literate! Hmmmmm i wonder??
After a few episodes I realized that Jen kind of runs laps around her co-hosts! Ha ha…. Just saying I really like it when she speaks… so much insight and wisdom…I googled her and found her book ‘Women of the Word’. I bought it that night, devoured it over the following days, and embarked on my very first REAL Bible Study shortly after that! I selected the book of James because it was the example she used in her book. I was wrapping up my study when I stumbled on this podcast! I am currently going through these episodes wishing that more of her studies/lectures were available to me as well.
I want to thank Jen for teaching me how to properly engage in God’s word. I am being challenged and changed by the Lord, through His Word, because I’m gaining deeper understanding and knowledge about Him and His Word first hand. I am approaching the Word with the right question fist - what does this passage teach me about God??
Thank you for helping me find my way through this new stage in my faith journey and search for truth. God bless you!
