Chasing Sacred, Mikella Van Dyke Tyndale Momentum (ISBN: 9781496480712) 2024.
Summary: Using inductive Bible study methods to encounter God and find hope in Him.
Mikella Van Dyke grew up as a missionary kid in Thailand, and so reading the Bible and applying it to her life came early. In college, that habit deepened, and then, after a brief career in dance, she began leading women in Bible study. However, she realized that she needed more than good habits of Bible reading. So she went to Regent College. In a class on hermeneutics, on how to interpret scripture, the scriptures opened up to her in a whole new way. Specifically, she learned the method of inductive Bible study, in which one moves from careful observation of the text, through interpretation that asks what does it mean to application. Since that time, she founded Chasing Sacred a ministry that “exists to equip women and local churches with sound doctrine and practical tools for their walk with God” through inductive Bible study.
I resonate with her story. Accepting Christ at a Vacation Bible School at a young age and getting serious about following Jesus through the Jesus movement, I went to a lot of Bible studies and read scripture regularly on my own. But in college, I went to an InterVarsity conference where I learned inductive Bible study, and it opened up the scriptures to me in a whole new way. I went on to work on InterVarsity staff and taught generations of students and many others what I had learned and saw the power of God to change lives through the scriptures. And so I was eager to hear how another teacher trained in similar methods teaches these to others.
Van Dyke begins by answering why we study scripture, or in her terms “chase sacred.” Very simply, the scriptures, opened up through careful study show us Someone worth chasing. There’s both duty and delight in chasing sacred. First, there is the duty of careful and regular study. And then there is the delight of learning how to live well with the one we are chasing. But sometimes we get lost in the detail and miss the big story. We miss the narrative arc of creation, fall redemption, and restoration holding the whole together. And sometimes, teachers stray from the big story. She offers help in recognizing false teaching.
Before getting down to the “how to’s” of inductive Bible study, she addresses two other foundational elements. One is the work of the Holy Spirit in illuminating the scripture he inspired. The other is the role of prayer in acknowledging our dependence on God’s help and opening ourselves to his transforming work.
The third part of the book is devoted to the how-tos of inductive study, beginning with our choice of Bible. She explains the different translation philosophies but does not opt for a particular translation. Instead, she rejoices in the abundance of good English translations. Then she turns to observing. The basic question is, “what do I see.” This includes context and background, key words, atmosphere, and asking the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions. She then spends a whole chapter on the different types of context: literary, historical, and cultural, while staying Christ-centered. Genre also is important enough to merit a chapter as she describes how we read different genres. More briefly, she discusses interpretation, which asks the meaning of what we’ve observed, and application, how we will act on that meaning. The end of the book includes a collection of Bible study resources.
The most compelling aspect of this book is Van Dyke’s sheer enthusiasm for scripture, evident in every chapter. Her explanations are clear and she distills a lot of hermeneutic wisdom into a concise and understandable format. While she offers numerous examples in her explanations, it seems this book is best used with its companion, Chasing Sacred Bible Study. In this she walks people through five weeks of inductive study of Colossians and Philemon.
I was curious about the covers of both books. Each show typed copies of biblical text marked up with different colors. I know this as manuscript Bible study, a particular form of inductive study. I kept expecting her to mention this but did not find any reference in the text.
However, I was so thrilled to read this and learn of Van Dyke’s ministry. A great obstacle to biblical literacy is helping people understand what they are reading and rightly interpret this ancient text. Some trust to impressive teachers, so frustrated are they in their own efforts, And sometimes those teachers mislead them. The tools here both help people spot deception and discover the joy of “chasing sacred.”
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.