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Reviewing the Chapter

1. What does the chapter mean when it says, “Though the good news is personal, it is never private”?
2. What are some of the ways in which we see the theme of community at work in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament)?
3. What are some of the ways in which we see the theme of community at work in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles?
4. What are some of the ways in which we see the theme of community at work in the letters of Paul and the book of Revelation?
5. Throughout history, what are some of the ways the Bible has played an important role in Christian communities?
6. How does the discussion of Rutba House and Ephesians 2 illustrate the notion of “living exegesis”?
7. How does this chapter describe the relationship between reading Scripture individually and reading it in community?

Engaging a Central Issue

Respond to the following claim Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove makes in this chapter (p. 378): “Learning that almost all the ‘yous’ in the Bible were actually ‘y’alls’ interrupted me. I had to go back and reread everything. . . . ‘The Bible and community’ taught me that I get to be part of God’s cosmic and eternal work by participating as a living member in Christ’s body, the church.”

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. How have you experienced the influence of either Western individualism or Christian community—or both—in the reading of Scripture? What have been the effects of such experiences?
2. What is your reaction to the motif of “community” as a key to understanding both Testaments?
3. What is the relationship between the role of Scripture in community and the notion of the community as a “living” or “lived” exegesis of Scripture?