Bible Quote by Robert M. Fowler
““To be a critical reader means for me: (1) to affirm the enduring power of the Bible in my culture and in my own life and yet (2) to remain open enough to dare to ask any question and to risk any critical judgement. Nothing less than both of these points, together, can suffice for me. I was a reader of the Bible before I was a critic of it, but I found becoming a critic to be liberating and satisfying, and therefore I judge criticism to be a high calling of inestimable value. Yet, I recognize the prior claim of the text and the preeminence of reading over criticism; accordingly, I see and occasionally am apprehended by moments in which the text wields its indubitable power. The critic's ego says this could be a taste of the cherished post-critical naivete; the reader's proper humility before the text says that a reader should not judge such things.””
About This Quote
Critical reading balances reverence for a text’s power with openness to questioning and judgment.
In simple terms: Respect texts but stay open to critique.
Key Takeaway
Balance reverence with critical inquiry.
Themes
faith
reading
criticism
humility
balance
Mood
contemplative
analytical
Type
Bible:1
Books:0
Critic:1
Reader:1
Religion:1
Critical Reader:1
Critical Judgement:1
Reading Criticism:1
Bible Critic:1
Critical Naivete:1
When to use this quote
- study groups
- personal reflection
- academic writing
Key Concepts
theology
literary analysis
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you honor a text while questioning it?
- What risks arise from too much humility?
A Different Perspective
Over‑emphasis on reverence may stifle critique.
![“I began to read [Bible] as a critic, an in-house critic. So I got to a place where when I got to the university, I just couldn't reconcile that book and some of its points of view with stuff I was learning in my academic career. And so then you have a choice: either you give up your academic…” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c08/john-shelby-spong-1488_academic_i-began-to-read-bible-as-a-critic-an-in_1438471.jpg)
