What will the shape of Bible engagement be in the years to come? Here are some pensees and questions for consideration:

• Are there imaginative new ways to fuse the dramatic and creative arts with the Word? How can artists who respect the power of truth be encouraged to give creative expression and visual beauty to the Word?
• We have migrated from Gutenberg to Google. How do we continue to facilitate connections with the Bible so that engagement becomes more than words and images on a screen?
• Should the Bible be liberated from the constraints of individualism? What new formats might better facilitate communal Bible reading, exploration and reflection?
• What types of formats, presentation styles or delivery systems of the Scriptures are best suited to communal hermeneutics?
• How can Bible engagement tied to screen to screen connexity be fused with face to face community?
• What can or should be done to invite non-Bible readers, both as individuals and in community, to engage with the Bible?
• How can the profile of the Bible be raised both inside and outside the church?
• Is there a way to develop online contextualised illustrated display Bibles as public exhibits of how we value the Scriptures?
• Should we be seeking progressive ways to promote the primacy of the Scriptures? What are the descriptors for this generation that best communicate a high view of the Scriptures?
• How might hypertext be better used to invite engagement with the Bible? How can we leverge the internet so that more people engage the Bible in ways that result in meaningful encounters with Christ and life transformations?
• What are the best ways, in today’s context, to invite children and youth to hook up and interact with the Bible so that they ultimately choose to hold a biblical world view?
• Concerning the Western tendency to compartmentalize and dichotomize: How can we better develop resources to help people engage the Bible with both their heads and their hearts?
• How can the Bible be shared in real time with suitable symbols and prophetic metaphor?
• What improvements need to be made with delivery systems so that the Bible is accessed in more multisensory, interactional and user-friendly formats?
• Would it be helpful to publish a Bible that shows by its formatting what literary genre is primarily being used?
• How do we teach/educate people to read the Scriptures in context? Is there a way to wean people from manipulating the Bible for selfish or skewed agendas?
• What are the ways to improve reaching anyone, anywhere, anytime with the Bible?
• How can we do the above so that favourable conditions are created for divine-human encounters?

What questions or pensees do you have about the shape of Bible engagement in the future?

© Scripture Union Canada 2013