Not All Christian Voices Are Safe

In a world full of spiritual influencers, I chose silence, Scripture, and a red dot on a white page. It's changed everything.

Why I’m Avoiding Popular Christian Content

I am in a season of reconstruction.

My instincts (or possibly the Holy Spirit) have set off a visceral resistance to reading popular Christian books right now.

At first I thought maybe it was fear. Returning to my faith has felt so fragile.

I started rebuilding with the one thing I know to be true - that Jesus of Nazareth died and rose from the dead three days later and claimed to be son of God.

To begin there felt like I was holding a vast piece of white paper with one red dot in the middle of the page. What if I started listening to books and gurus and it started to get crowded with stuff about God that isn’t true?

Now I see it’s not fear. It’s wise protection.

What Changed in My Bible Life

What’s absolutely wild to me is that in my previous Christian life I really struggled to read the Bible every day. It was dry. It was hard. There were plenty of other things to distract me. I preferred shows, movies, social media, anything really.

But in the last 6-7 weeks, I haven’t gone one day without reading the scripture. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, and I’m never disappointed when I open it. The life coming off the pages always takes me places I didn’t expect.

I see popular Christian influencers with podcasts and books and something inside of me says “no”. Maybe it’s no forever (because it’s not theologically sound). Maybe it’s just no for a season. I’m not sure.

But the Bible (and my ongoing journaling in ChatGPT about the chapter I’m reading) has proven one of the most life giving things I’ve ever done.

How I Actually Study Each Day

I thought I would walk you through my process because even with just the Bible and a chat companion… could easily get dicey and off track. Then I will show you an example of my Bible study this week to see what comes up in just reading one chapter.

First & foremost, the scripture needs to be read in context.

The whole “close your eyes, open your bible and pick a verse” might be a fun game, but it often leads to questionable interpretation.

For me, I started with the book of Matthew. I wrote about it here.

Once I was finished, I decided to go all the way back to the beginning and read the book of Genesis.

My recommendation is that you read one book at a time. Get the backstory and context of the book, who the author is, and who he is writing to.

I chose to read a chapter a day.

1. I read the chapter in full.

2. I occasionally look before and after the chapter to get an idea of where it’s happening, the characters, context etc.

3. I then begin a chat thread in my Bible Study project folder in ChatGPT. The folder has specific instructions about Bible Study that are important to keep Chat on task.

What happens in the Chat thread?

I go with my own curiosity. I ask questions sometimes verse by verse. Other times I go a few verses before a question comes up. Any point where I’m confused, afraid, not sure, or just curious, I stop and ask.

Here are some questions you might want to think to ask yourself if you do this….

1. What was the original intent of this verse?

2. Why did the author include this in the writing?

3. What’s the original Jewish interpretation of this scripture (if it’s Old Testament especially)?

4. Are there any controversies in this verse and if so, what are there?

5. Any literary devices or hermeneutics that I need to be aware of?

6. What is the exact Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic translation?

7. Is this a theme in scripture? If so, where and how many other times does it appear?

8. What’s the symbolic representation of __________?

9. Is there anything noteworthy here (i.e. first time it’s mentioned, unique call out, etc.)?

10. What were the common beliefs or habits of the culture during this time?

11. Did Jesus ever reference this (if it’s an Old Testament verse)?

12. What is the meaning of the times, places, measurements, genealogies, etc. (there’s a LOT of this in the Old Testament that can feel dry)?

I do run on some tangents when they feel important (or if they relate back to something I read earlier in the week).

See My Bible Study In Action

One thing that’s really important to me is to not force myself to close loops I don’t understand.

There is some tough stuff in scripture.

I don’t get it all.

As I reconstruct, I’m building belief on my big white sheet of paper with the red dot in the middle.

And I am adding things to the paper that I understand and believe, and letting God hold the stuff I don’t get yet. Maybe won’t get ever.

Here are two threads from the past two days. You can see what happened, where my line of thought went, the things I didn’t quite get, and the big theological questions that popped up.

→Genesis 15

→Genesis 16

I thought I would give away the custom instructions I’m using in my Bible Study folder if it would be helpful.

📕📙📚 You are Julie’s Bible study thought partner. She is a spiritually discerning, intelligent, and practical believer who values truth, context, and transformation. Your job is to help her explore Scripture in a way that is both theologically rich and emotionally relevant—without being long-winded or preachy.

🔥 Voice & Vibe

Be concise by default. Use short paragraphs. No fluff. When Julie wants more depth, she’ll ask.

Speak with clarity, reverence, and boldness—grounded, not academic.

Use curiosity and critical thinking without cynicism.

Blend faith, reason, and application.

📚 Julie’s Study Priorities

Apologetics: Present reasoned, biblically grounded defenses of the faith. Highlight tensions with culture and modern objections.

Hermeneutics: Discuss authorial intent, genre, literary patterns, and interpretive principles.

Biblical languages: Explain key Greek/Hebrew terms when they unlock deeper meaning—don’t overdo it, just show what matters.

Historical & cultural context: Frame the passage in its world—first-century Jewish customs, Roman law, Second Temple thought, etc.

Controversy radar: Flag verses or passages that are debated (e.g., women in ministry, eschatology, predestination) with a “heads up,” and outline the main views fairly.

Application & discipleship: Connect Scripture to real emotional, spiritual, and psychological growth—especially in the areas of anxiety, identity, purpose, and spiritual drift.

🙏 What to Include

Scripture references, always.

Key word studies when relevant.

Summaries of multiple interpretations when applicable.

A lens of God’s kindness, justice, and holiness—never flatten Scripture into sentiment or legalism.

Modern analogies or examples if they help clarify, not dilute.

🚫 What to Avoid

Don’t be long-winded unless asked.

Don’t oversimplify difficult texts or theological tension.

Don’t assume shame/guilt as the motivator—focus on grace, truth, and sanctification.

Don’t sound like a seminary professor trying to impress. Julie wants insight, not jargon.

✨ Example Use Cases

“Give me the apologetics angle on this verse.”

“What would a Jewish audience have heard in this parable?”

“Where’s the controversy in this passage?”

“What’s the original Greek word here, and does it change how we interpret it?”

“How might this passage apply to someone dealing with anxiety or performance-driven faith?”

Where I’m Headed Next

So back to my resistance of books & podcasts from pastors, Christian influencers, etc.

I am dabbling in a few… carefully and lightly.

I’m focusing more on those who teach on apologetics and hermeneutics because I do know that reading scripture is something that people have spent lifetimes studying how to do.

I feel that these people have a high degree of commitment to the text, vs a pastor or influencer who may have other motivations.

I’m avoiding YouTube, theological fringe tangents that blend New Age & mystical principles into the Bible, and any ministry that’s designed specifically to take down some other Church or theology.

All that said, I do feel like there’s going to come a time when I’m going to right into the fire of contesting things that I think are untrue or misleading.

But I’m waiting for God’s say so.

Despite my history as a Biblical Studies major and pastor, this season of reading scripture has changed my life and relationship with God. Profoundly.

I used to think music, prayer, and emotionally laden conferences and events were the only ways that I was able to experience and feel God.

And those have their place. I still do connect to God through prayer and worship specifically.

But this crazy amazing compilation of 66 books written across a period of 2000 years is pulsing with God’s presence and He meets me in it every morning.

xx