Eric Bancroft: The Joy of Theology Reading Groups

Pastor, I want to thank you. My marriage has been totally turned around.

These aren't the words you expect someone to write three months after their spouse began reading a 1,291-page systematic theology book, yet that's exactly what I was being told in a card. My prayers had been answered. I'd prayed that God would give people such a love for him and his Word that it would begin to affect all areas of their life. I'd also prayed that reading and discussing a systematic theology book with others would be one of those means.

Soon after I came to my church in 2008 and began preaching expositionally, I realized many of the men had only a cursory knowledge of the Bible. Further, I observed most of the young men had been neglected in any intentional pursuit. I prayed for three months about what to do and whom to pursue. I decided to start a theology reading group with eight men.

The journey began in January 2009. We met in my basement every Friday morning at 6:00 a.m., for an hour and a half, for 16 months. The men were told they must be committed, which meant be present, on time, and prepared to discuss their reading of that week's assigned chapter. I didn't think I would retain all of them. But the more they studied God's Word and discussed it together, the more hooked they became. How hooked? One guy was out of town for three months and would drive to a rural McDonald's for free WiFi so that he could Skype with us. Another had appendicitis and needed emergency surgery. When Friday came around, the discussion time moved to his hospital room. Keep reading