The Gut Truth

Using my imagination was never a consideration when it came to reading the Bible. It felt so uncomfortable or unstructured, like the feeling of accidentally coloring outside the lines. This is because I am very much a task-oriented person who searches for clear cut answers. But as I continued to read Enjoying the Bible by Matthew Mullins, my eyes were opened to the depths of the Bible that I could explore if I implemented imagination and emotion into my reading. I understood the importance of not just reading for information, but to first experience the artistry within the words. Mullins argues that society has adopted the often-unconscious perspective that the Bible is only an instruction manual. To counteract this, he pushes back explaining how we must first approach the Bible with a posture of empathy. As we look to the Word, we need to open our hearts, or as Mullins puts it, use “our guts” so we can reach the fullest potential that a writing has to offer. In Enjoying the Bible, Mullins walks through many aspects to consider when trying to reconstruct the way in which we approach a text. I agree with Mullins that we must redefine meaning, engage our gut, and delight in shock so we can experience a work of art more fully.

The first step to exploring the depths of reading is to be exposed to another way of understanding meaning. Mullins evoked curiosity in me that led to transformation when he wrote one of his points. I agree with Mullins when he proclaims that we need to adopt the idea of meaning as defamiliarization. As we do this, it will continue to amaze and give renewal to our view of writing. Mullins states that “the reimagining of something familiar is, itself, a form of meaning” (Mullins 53). When we can approach the known in an unknown capacity, we can continue to pull new meaning out of it. In fact, we are called as Christians to be uncomfortable because that is where growth occurs. In this we will be able to discover more of God’s mighty work. But, if we are never willing to step into the unknown or unfamiliar, we will never experience the beauty that is at the end. The Bible interacts with this idea in many ways: one being within Jesus’ parables. Take for example the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-31. Within this passage, Jesus talks about several ways seeds fell along the path and evolved. He was not just teaching about seeds, but rather our faith. These seeds are metaphors that alluded to our heart posture when hearing the Word of God. In this situation, Jesus used a familiar idea, especially in ancient Israel, of seeds growing to help us look differently and dig deeper into what our heart posture looks like. Mullins challenged my past way of thinking when he stated that “sometimes what a text means is the way it makes you see your world in a new way” (Mullins 50-51). This challenged me to be okay with not having a clear-cut answer. I used to fear uncomfortable situations, but I now try to embrace them. Because of Mullins, I have found myself more aware of what is around me and the ways it can teach me through aspects I never thought of before. Rather, when I put my to-do list down and let my imagination run free, I can become more intimate in my engagement to interact with the unfamiliar. I have always been focused on being perfect that I have missed the ways God wants to move in my imagination. Mullins helped convince and motivate me to rearrange my habits. Furthermore, Mullins says that “literature sets out to renew our understanding by making those things which have become familiar unfamiliar once again” (Mullins 51). This is so fascinating because when we look to God, we see his astonishing creativity. As His creation, we are invited to do the same. He has wired us in such a way that we gain more when we become creative in imagination and can mold what we used to find familiar into something that makes our heads turn in curiosity. Many times, scripture just wants us to see the character of God so we can understand His heart rather than rules. Mullins has truly captured my attention and led me to see the Bible in a new way through learning to defamiliarize myself with a text.

Not only has Mullins helped reconstruct my idea of meaning, but he has also shown me what it means to use my gut when reading a passage. Mullins states that reading with our gut is “the center of the human person” (Mullins 78). In other words, reading with our gut is putting our whole self into a text and letting it take us on a journey. It uses both heart and mind. A big part of that is to first slow down. In my own reading of scripture, I have found it hard to approach the Bible like this at times. Mindlessly reading or just trying to get the main points has been a big tactic for me when reading the Bible. Mullins warns us of this by stating that when we do this constantly it “is like loading up on appetizers and then being too stuffed to eat the actual meal you were intended to enjoy” (Mullins 84). I think of it like this: I eat snacks but to be well nourished I need to prioritize good meals. If I only summarize the Bible, I will not be filled with all the nutrients I need to grow. In addition, Mark 1:35-39 shows how Jesus engaged in this process of slowing down many times. We see he would often go to a quiet place to sit in the Lord’s presence and take a break from the craziness of life. Furthermore, Mullins warns us away from this by stating that when we do not engage our guts, we are missing “out on how the Bible is designed not only to teach us important information but also to provide our imaginations with the best picture of what it means to be a person” (Mullins 78). In my Bible reading, I need to prioritize slowing down and letting myself take it in because every word of the Bible has its own significance. When I intentionally take a second to prepare my heart and slow my mind down, I have a better appreciation for what I am reading. Engaging our guts when reading the Bible is a vital aspect to adopt as I grow in knowledge and understanding.

In addition to both redefining meaning and reading with my gut, Mullins emphasized to me that finding delight in shock is another layer of how to interact with scripture. This seemed a little weird to me at first, but then I could see where he was coming from. For example, Mullins says that “shock requires us to question ourselves, to doubt everything we take for granted” (Mullins 101). When we become shocked by scripture, it helps us reevaluate what ground we stand on. This, at first, seems wrong but after thinking through it I realized that it provides me with an opportunity to get stronger in many ways. As Mullins puts it, “shock thus has mental, psychological, emotional, and physical significance” (Mullins 100). It puts me in the uncomfortable. It puts me in that tension. In other words, I am given a weight room to build the muscle of knowledge. It may be hard and produce some sweat but, in the end, I am better because of it. Mullins talks about how once we are shocked by something, it requires us to “forge our own answers rather than relying on those supplied to us by others” (Mullins 101). When we experience shock, it awakens us so that we cannot rely on what someone else says. In the same way, our faith cannot be an outpour of someone else’s. If it is, then you will not be able to experience the delight of what a relationship with Christ has to offer. Within the Bible, there are many instances that have brought shock to people. For example, the Pharisees had a whole way of living based on their beliefs, but once Jesus died on the cross and rose three days later, it shocked them to their core: It opened their eyes to the truth. This resonates with me a lot because there was a point in my life when I realized my faith was not fully my own but connected to someone else. It took some time to build my own faith, but once I stepped into my own faith journey, I began to build my spiritual muscle. This brings great delight to my soul even in the times of tension and confusion. 

For so long people have ingrained in our minds the idea that the Bible is just an instruction manual. But this idea has caused us to miss so much meat that would help our understanding of God, ourselves, and others in a deeper way. Mullins has provided us with many perspectives to guide us in this path of transfiguration. We must redefine our previous understanding of meaning, engage our whole self in what we are reading, and find delight in what will make us question our previous stance. To build our muscle of knowledge, it is important to not only hear what Mullins is telling us but use it to redirect our habits into what will bring us fulfillment. As we implement these aspects into our life, we will step into a new level of intimacy in our walk with Christ.

Work Cited

Mullins, Matthew. Enjoying the Bible: Literary Approaches to  Loving the Scriptures. Baker Academic, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021