I referred recently to the fact that the Bible should not be seen as some sort of divine satnav, but rather as a means of orientating one’s life. This is a big claim for a multitude of reasons.

Many Christians do use the Bible as some sort of satnav. The problem is that the Bible, like many older satnavs, is not designed to respond to some of the specific choices we have to make as Christians living in the 21st Century. Let me explain. My slightly older satnav was helping me navigate from Newark to Nottingham. It wanted me to turn right off the main road. Unfortunately for me and it, the right hand turn had been taken away during upgrading to the main road. As a result, the satnav encouraged me to go round and round in circles until I uttered some unvicarly words, and turned it off. I actually got there in the end by using an old-fashioned map.

Maps do not work on the same principle as satnavs. It is true that when I use my old map on Exmoor in October, there have been certain additions, but the contours, the overall shape will not changed and I am still able to follow the map with relative ease. It helps that I have learnt to read maps and can now with little effor find where I am on the map from the terrain in front of me. However, I know from experience that margins for error are quite small.

You can for example be a degree out when using a compass at the beginning of the journey, and walk within visible distance of your intended journey at the outset, but within, say, 5 miles, you will be at a completely different point.

Similarly, with the scriptures, we do need to know them in order to orientate our life from them. If we do not have sufficient knowledge, we will, I think, have to use them like a satnav or as some sort of divine slotmachine. The problem when we do that is that the scriptures can become unsatisfactory. They do not appear to answer the questions posed and its supposed dictates rankle against modern life.

You see the Bible is not meant to be used in isolation, but in and out of a relationship with a loving God. It is that relationship that helps orientate us to understand what is revealed of the divine-self in our holy texts.

This is indeed a subject to which I will return.