But how do we listen appropriately to this story? McKnight argues against the “authority approach” to listening. The “authority approach” assumes that our goal is a relationship with the Bible and that we must learn to submit to Scripture. Scripture, however, (e.g., Ps. 119) suggests that a “relational approach” is more appropriate. Our goal is not a relationship with the Bible but with the God of the Bible. We listen relationally–in a way that enhances our relationship with the God whose Story is told in Scripture.
McKnight presents five elements of listening in a relational way to Scripture:
- A relational approach “distinguishes God from the Bible.” God gave us the Bible to lead us to love his person. “But the person and the paper are not the same.” For example, the book of Jonah is about Jonah’s God, not Jonah’s whale. To get caught up in questions about how a human can live in a whale is to miss the point.
- A relational approach “focuses on the Bible as God’s written communication with us.” Scripture is filled with the words we need in order to be the people of God.
- A relational approach invites us “to listen to God (the person) speak in the Bible and to engage God as we listen.” That is, our primary stance must be one of listening.
- A relational approach understands that “we enter into the Bible’s own conversation and the conversation the church has had about the Bible.” Each author or wiki-story interacts with and converses with other authors/ wiki-stories. In addition, throughout Christian history thinkers and scholars have conversed about Scripture. We are to listen to both conversations.
- A relational approach “believes our relationship to the Bible is transformed into a relationship with the God who speaks to us in and through the Bible.” That is, God gave the Bible not so we can know it but so we can know him.
