text: It's unclear what Father Reese means by "adult," if he thinks "reflecting on the Scriptures" is the sole intellectual engagement with biblical literature that is required to produce an "adult Christian." (Hopefully he does not believe that, but rather believes it is "necessary but not sufficient.")
  
  It is possible to go very wrong by reading biblical texts without understanding where they came from and in what circumstances they were written. Many Christians, even those who spend a lot of time reading their Bibles, bring along many prejudices and preconceptions when they read biblical literature, and so it's no wonder they come up with strange interpretations.
  
  An "adult Christian" will question authority, will not receive traditional ideas without decent intellectual explanation, and will not hesitate to seek the direction of scholars and others who are better informed.