Don’t Forsake the Public Reading of Scripture

Bible reading has become a largely private practice—something we do in our own personal “quiet time.” A few verses, or perhaps as much as a chapter, are often read before the sermon on Sunday morning. But when was the last time you heard multiple chapters or, better yet, a whole book of the Bible publicly read aloud from beginning to end?

This has become a relatively rare experience in the church. However, the public reading of Scripture is one of the most ancient, time-honored practices of God’s people that is recorded in Scripture. It is a practice that is repeatedly described and commended at crucial moments in redemptive history, from the very beginning to the very end of the Bible. In fact, it is something that God’s people are specifically commanded to do with devotion. As Paul told Timothy, his young pastoral protégé, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Tim. 4:13, emphasis added). Read More

Anglicans should not be too quick to pat themselves on the back for maintaining the practice of public reading of Scripture in their churches. From using older translations of the Bible whose language people no longer understand to using lectionaries that shorten and edit lections for public reading and alter their meaning Anglicans have their own share of problems in this area.