Survey about the Bible use -missing points?

Emerging for ministry want to know about how we 'emergers' relate to scripture so they have a survey they hope folk will fill in. I have to say that I found it a frustrating survey. It seemed to presuppose certain ways of looking at 42 [the answer to life the universe and everything -watch Hitchhikers guide...] that I didn't really grok. Let's have a look at some of it.
"1) Do you consider Scripture to be: (check all that apply) Directly revealed from God Nothing more than the story of God’s people Containing some errors, but still God’s Word Completely without error Additional comments:"
This seems to be unable to capture the data that is most significant for me. I checked all and could have left them all unchecked: it simply misses the points because it seems to tied up in modernist debates to pick up the potentially significant differences that post-modern and integralist approaches open up. In comments I pointed out that I was happy with 'God-inspired'. By that I was getting at the point in my mind that I Howard Marshall would have some difficulty with this question. Where is the box for views that combine various of these views or simply see them as missing the point?

Next up. "2) Regarding your beliefs about Scripture, would you say that they: Have remained consistent over time Have changed over time Are being rethought Not sure "
Hmmm. 'Not sure' would indicate that I'm not sure I can answer this question in the terms put. I think that they have remained consistent BUT they have changed or developed. I am constantly revising my view of things as I interact with Scripture and the world and my own heart ... Can this question really capture anything useful apart from who is prepared to sign up for which slogans or project which image of themselves?

Okay then we have "3) How often do you engage Scripture? Daily Weekly Monthly Less Often "
Okay, what does 'engage' mean? And isn't there an implicit 'right answer' in this? So how useful will the answers be except to judge how many people might be prepared to break ranks? Even granted that someone in my position where I 'engage' [by my definition] with scripture aobut 5 times a week ... that's not daily, but 'weekly' gives a wrong impression. The early Christians without access to personal Bibles prbably had to make do with two or three times a week if they were lucky ... I don't like the implicit valuing of answers, given the feel of the questionnaire and the stable it comes from. Badly designed question, I'm afraid.

"4) By what means do you engage Scripture?
Reading a physical Bible Reading a Bible electronically (PDA, computer) Reading the Bible online Listening to the Bible in some form " There are no means to indicate more than one, note too the individualistic bias implicit in all of this. How about those of us who at various time pray offices with other people where the Bible is presented in various forms, often simultneously? Is not group discussion of a passage 'engaging' with the Bible? The modernist assumption of the individual reader wins again.

At least with this: "5) What is the main translation of Scripture you prefer? KJV or NKJV NRSV NASB CEV NIV Other" they had this: "If you selected other please specify:". I hope a lot of people put 'Greek' down!

I had a bit of trouble with this one too: "10) If you're a part of a weekly gathering, is the Bible taught at those gatherings? Yes No " Well yes in some, no in others. 'Taught' has a lot of freight I'm not sure I buy into [I would prefer 'learnt from' or 'interacted with']. If it's "taught" in 51% of them do I get to put yes but no if only 49%? What is in a significant proportion where it's not "taught" it is still used but interacted with in other ways; meditated upon, acted out, role played, used as a liturgy, combinations of the foregoing ... Again it is the presuppositions behind the question that need more challenging. With this question and the ones around it, there seems to be a priviledging of certain models of church gathering implicit. Part of the point of at least some emerging church is to question those models.

I hope that this survey will be used as a pilot for the real thing so that these bugs and others can be evicted.
emerging.forministry.com � Blog Archive � Online Survey about the Bible in your life