The Blue Parakeet.

Book Review.

McKnight, Scot. The Blue Parakeet. Rethinking how you read the Bible. Zondervan. 2008
S.M.- PhD, Nottingham. Professor of religious studies at North Park College in Ill.

Comment. Henry
Following up on the pendulum analogy in my last review, this book is definitely left of centre. The endorsements confirm that.
I found this book very helpful regarding the dilemma that seems so prevalent when differing opinions about the same passage of scripture result in widespread interpretations. Scot presents a balanced view of Scripture. How we read Scripture has to impact how we live. Furthermore, it is not necessary to have a degree in theology or any other ‘ology’ to understand how we should live.

When we read the Bible we should come away from our experience with some kind of an answer to the question, “How then, are we to live out the Bible today?” (11) We all pick and choose (adopt and adapt) as we read the Bible. What is our logic when we do that? The “blue parakeet” symbol is explained as a (biblical) concept that does not readily fit in with our general understanding of scriptural teaching. It is usually controversial.

It is suggested that we read the Bible in three different ways: “Reading to retrieve”, (25) “Reading through tradition”, (29) and “Reading with tradition”. (33) How we read determines how we conclude. Our reading of the Bible should focus on “story, listening’ and discerning”. (37)

Our reading should not be focusing on a collection of divine morsels, favorite verses, blessings and promises or projecting our ideas and desires onto the Bible. “One chapter Bible readers develop one-chapter Christian lives”. (54) The Bible is a story with power. It has plot, characters, and many authors. Scot does a brief overview of the plot of the story.

“Knowing that the Bible is God’s story- how do we read a story that we claim is God’s story?’ (84) That has to do with our relationship with the Bible and its author. God communicates with his people through his word. It is a “relational approach”. (87)

Knowing and doing must be consistent as we read. James 2:4. “Listening and loving are connected.” (97) In the Bible there are 1500 examples of exhortations that we should hear and/or listen. They are usually followed by an appeal for action. “Any method of Bible study that doesn’t lead to transformation abandons the missional path of God and leaves us stranded.” (105)

Living out the Bible cannot be done without discernment, e.g. do we say the Lord’s Prayer or do we recite the Lord’s Prayer. In order to “adopt and adapt” what we read we have to agree on some commonly accepted principles, which require discernment. How we respond to topics such as divorce and remarriage, the death penalty, tongues and other controversial issues will vary depending on our “pattern of discernment”. (134)

Scot does a brief case study of “women in church ministries today” to illustrate the results of varying methods of reading the Bible, i.e. “through tradition or with tradition”. (147) He begins with an explanation how he made a paradigm shift on the topic. There are many things need to be considered when we read the story. “He who writes the story controls the glory.” (155)
As part of our exploration of the topic we need to ask this basic question, “what did women do in the Bible?’ Scot looks at a number of examples from the Old Testament and the New Testament. Those who would conclude that women in ministry is not biblical look at “silencing passages” (190) 1Tim.2:8-15, 1Cor. 14:34-35. However, they also have to silence some other passages, Acts 2:16-18. Considering the context is a very important part of good discernment. The concept of learning preceding teaching becomes part of the discussion. Conclusions should be culturally based. A parallel reference on this topic would be Nancy Beech’s book “Gifted to Lead”. The case study is helpful to illustrate the challenge of effectively dealing with a “blue parakeet”.

This is a powerful resource. The review probably does not do it justice. HD