TLDR: To encourage and explore spiritual growth by the renewing of the mind through deeper biblical study.

—

There is a growing desire among people to want to grow, even to grow spiritually, even if they do not belong to a particular faith community. There are various avenues by which people might seek this growth: meditation, therapy, church, social justice, political involvement, etc. Some keen and relevant insight comes from the Apostle Paul, who wrote to the Christians in Rome two millennia ago. He exhorted them to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (cf. Rom 12:2), the implication being that transformation or growth occurs when our minds are renewed.

So how do we renew our minds? Simply put, it is to fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge refers to information and an interpretation of that information, while wisdom refers to the ability to apply that knowledge in life. So knowledge comes first, then wisdom to apply the knowledge. But it must be the right kinds of knowledge that fills our minds.

The picture above symbolizes the Bible being the lens by which I, and many others, view life. All of us view life through particular lenses, whether through a lens which we inherited from our parents, our cultural backgrounds, our previous experiences, our prejudices, our education, or whatever other lens we consciously or subconsciously see. My conviction is that there is no other foundational source of knowledge than Scripture, and that despite its misuse and misinterpretation throughout the centuries, God has preserved his Word through these ancient writings—these writings are in fact the Word of God. So to interpret life as the way God sees it is good and pleasing, and worthy. This is one reason why I study the Bible: to understand God’s perspective and view life as he would.

Thus, the purpose of Discourse is to encourage and explore spiritual growth by the renewal of our minds through a serious study of the Bible. Dave’s passion is to help people think critically, utilizing linguistics and other disciplines such as literary studies and psychology, about how to interpret the Bible and apply it to modern life.