From the bulletin at Grace Commons:
We study and discuss the bible a lot at Grace Commons, and we do it as a way to stay in touch with our roots, but also to develop our own theology and to reinterpret the old texts in ways relevant to contemporary situations and understandings.
The bible is a collection of stories preserved as a record of many peoples’ striving to know God and understand themselves in relation to the cosmos and the creation. It is filled with history, culture, poetry, metaphor, mystery, comedy and tragedy.
Our study of the bible should, like our spiritual practices, help us to become better people. When interpretations of the bible seem at odds with our ethics and commitments to grace, generosity, relationship and respect, we can, and should, set aside those interpretations and do what feels right.
We do all this not as renegade lone-rangers, but as a community rooted in mutuality, relationship, responsibility and hope for a commonwealth of people based in God’s dream of peace and wholeness for all of creation.