CAPTAIN J. W. ROBERTS, U5N
Commanding Officer
CDR R. L. STRAUB
Executive Officer
THE
A D A K
SUN
Published each Monday for all personnel
on Adak by Special Services. Provisions
for NavExos P-35 (Rev. July 58) complied
with. Mimeographed at NavSta Adak. Funds
furnished from non-appropriated sources
at no 6ost to the government. .'Articles
contained herein are not to be construed
as representing the official opinion of
the Commanding Officer or the Navy Dep
artment, inasmuch as the Adak Sun is not
an official publication.
STAFF
F.W.MC CLUER,PN2,315*R.KENNEDY,YN2,230
GUIDELINES FOR BIBLE READING
We have a Sunday night Bible Class meet
ing at 1930 in the RE Bldg. Several
months ago in a discussion of how to
study the Bible I made some suggestions.
These arc not unique with me. Guidelines
are printed by many sources. The Ameri
can Bible Society have made execellent
guides available, I share with you my
suggestions for enriched Bible Study.
1. Bring a prayful attitude to your
Bible Study, The Bible is more than a
religious dictinary in which you look up
page versions,
3. Read the Bible as you would any other
book, trying to understand its plain mes
sage* Except the words to "make sense"
and they will never seem to you "non
sense".
iu Recoganize the Bible is a collection
of many books coverning a period of thou
sands of years, This being true, the
kinds of religion and conduct described
in the Bible will be at different levels.
But the Bible truly reflects them all.
In every case of conflict in theology and
morals the New Testament supresedes the
Old Testament and both are to be evaluated
in the light of God’s revelation in
Jesus Christ,
5. Be careful to distinguish the litera
ture to which each sacred writing belongs*
There are 21 kinds of literature in the
Bible, such as law, poems, stories, his-*
torjr, prayer, etc* It does not help to
read a poem as though it were a legal
statute, nor a prayer as though it were a
call to battle.
6. Learn the circumstances under which a
passage was written-thc writer, the peo
ple to whom it is addressed, and the pur
pose. A man does not understand a pass
age .until he re-creates it in his imagina
tion. Fe must ‘‘see11 what is meant.
t73 P
7* Remember above all that the Bible is
set of religious books, not scientific.
. Y. Mullins, an eminent Bible scholar,
wrote "We have no right to declare that
the Bible teaches us science and a hun
dred other things when it professes only
to be God*s revelation for out religious
the meanings of words, God speaks throughneeds."
it to tne prayerful* believirig neart.
2. A dependable commentary will be of
great assistance. Different versions of
the Bible text will throw light on ob
scure passages. The years often blur
menings in the older English versions*
fer words change with the passage of tine <
Different shades of meaning and new*
fresh insights will be found as you com
(oontinued in next column)