Third-Person Christian by Mark Batterson
Third-Person Christian
I think some people are what I would call third-person christians. I’m not a grammarian, and I don’t know if this metaphor holds up literally, but third-person christians read the Bible in the third-person. They think in terms of “they” instead of “me.” They don’t personalize it by reading it in first-person terms. And so Scripture is de-personalized.
Here’s another example. Third-person christians attend church in the third-person thinking about the people in their life that “need to hear this message” rather than processing it personally! They talk about church in “they” terms instead of “we” terms.
Here’s a thought. Simply insert the first-person “I” or “me” or “we” when reading the Bible. It helps you own Scripture. And more importantly, it helps Scripture own you.
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Awesome, thanks Laura Jo.
Great insight.
A very interesting perspective and one that does seem like it will make the scripture come alive. Esecially the parts that convey a “go and do” message. Andrew’s comment is well taken. . . I’m not sure I would have thought of that concept had he not shared it. I do believe the scripture is for us and there may be a variety of ways that its significance is revealed to us. I’m looking forward to reading scripture differently.
i can see the value of reading scripture this way occasionally, when reading some of the Psalms, for example. but, it’s a dangerous road to go down. it encourages a very western (american) individualistic approach to life. it’s good for us to remember that scripture is not about us…it’s primarily about God, who he is and what he is doing…only then is it about how we fit into what God is doing.