David Cameron has hit the headlines once more: the Bible, he says, is a pretty useful ‘handbook for life’. This has caused some consternation to commentators, whether they have a faith or not. Such a reaction is probably heightened in the UK because in the main, politicians are not supposed to do ‘God’.

The Prime Minister falls into a trap common of many believers: assuming that the Bible is a some sort of manual for living. However, just because it is a common understanding does not make it true. The Christian scriptures are not to be taken, I would suggest, as some sort of holy satnav giving directions for 21st Century living; rather the books of the Bible collectively offer an orientation that can create a different way of looking at the world. There might not seem to be too much difference between a manual and orientation, except the Bible, as the inspired word of God, opens up the possibility of a different way of life and of living. This is something I will post more about over the coming weekend. Such a possibility is not set in stone (smile); but one that offers contours for life’s journey. It is only by engaging with these texts that we will know how to discern what God is saying to us as different points in our journey unfold.