Dharius Daniels - Most Christians Misread the Bible, and Here's Why

What’s up? Listen to me; I’m about to say something that’s probably going to be a bit offensive. I’m not trying to be offensive; I’m trying to be truthful, so I need you to be open just for a second. Here it is: in my experience, in my interactions with most Christians, they don’t know how to read the Bible. I’m not saying they don’t read it; I’m saying they don’t know how. I’m getting ready to talk about it in this video.

Several years ago, I was watching a particular leader who wasn’t a religious figure but someone I admire very much. I saw this leader having a conversation about an ethical, quasi-ethical issue. The leader began making statements that were basically—not even subliminally, but rather overtly—insinuating that Christians were guilty of hypocrisy on this issue. They started saying things like, «I don’t see Christians cutting off people’s hands when they steal. I don’t see Christians avoiding shrimp and crab. I don’t see Christians avoiding mixing fabrics.» This was a leader who was a Christian and had spent a significant part of their adult life as part of a Christian community.

As I listened to the leader speak, I was thinking, «Okay, you didn’t have to take that angle to make your point.» Furthermore, even though the person was very adept and astute in one specific area relating to their leadership, it was almost as if they assumed that automatically translated into another area. It would be the equivalent of me saying that because I have a doctorate and a master’s from Princeton and a doctorate from Fuller in Theology and Missional Leadership, I also understand mechanics. It’s just not the same thing.

While I was listening to this person talk, it struck me that this individual had literally been in church for the larger part of their adult life and didn’t know the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I didn’t feel any animosity toward the person; I felt concerned as a spiritual leader because I thought, «Man, we aren’t doing a good job teaching people how to actually read the Bible.» We tell people to read the Bible, we put them on Bible reading plans, we create Bible reading apps, but we don’t explain what they’re actually reading.

When I say most Christians, I don’t know most Christians in the world; I’m saying that in my experience with the Christians I speak to about Bible reading, they have received no coaching, guidance, training, or mentorship on the Bible itself. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons I started Bible U. It is literally one of the reasons I started Bible U; my community helps people understand that Sundays are not enough and that life doesn’t get better until they get better with the Bible. Part of that means learning how to understand it, how to interpret it, how to apply it, and how to explain it.

As I listened to this person talk, which turned out to be a contradiction, I was thinking, «We aren’t supposed to be cutting off people’s hands if they steal.» It felt like the leader was saying, «You all are hypocrites, cherry-picking what you want to pull from the Bible, ” and I thought, „No, bro, you’re not understanding the Bible. What you’re reading is from the Old Testament.“

That experience is indicative of and reflective of some micro-experiences I’ve had. I remember one time when a genuinely sweet young lady came up to me and said, „Hey, I’ve been doing my tithe wrong.“ I asked, „What do you mean?“ She responded, „Well, I missed, and I need to add 1/8 to it.“ I was confused and asked where she got that information. She said, „Well, you know, the Bible says in the Old Testament that if you miss, you have to add an eighth to it.“ I said, „Oh, okay.“

There have also been times when people have been accusatory toward me, saying, „You don’t celebrate the Passover and other feasts.“ I felt like this really isn’t rocket science; this is a dereliction of duty in spiritual leadership. I don’t blame any of them; I blame us. All three examples I just gave would be a non-issue if people simply understood what the word „Testament“ means. Your Bible is divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. We tell people to read it but don’t even explain what the word „testament“ means.

„Testament“ means covenant or agreement. Let’s not get theological; let’s be logical. This means the Old Testament is the old covenant, and the New Testament is the new covenant. I’m not observing the feasts in the Old Testament because that’s part of the old agreement. I’m not bringing goats, bulls, and calves to church on Sunday to sacrifice because that was part of the old agreement. I think that’s really important. I also think about books in the New Testament, like Galatians, and other texts.