Biblical Literacy, Part 2: So What's the Plan?

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."

- Jules Winnfield, Pulp Fiction ( inaccurate but he's trying, Ringo. He's trying REAL HARD.)

Biblical Literacy provides readers with a basic, accurate understanding of Biblical actors and events. The benefits are numerous and apply to believers and non-believers alike. But you have to READ the Bible. In toto. All the Way. There and Back Again. Then you'll know the difference between sacred scripture and gangster poetry.

It's difficult sometimes, but with a good reading plan, you won't have to try so hard, Ringo. Unfortunately, many popular Bible reading plans have flaws for first-timers.

• Aggressive Timelines: If you fall off the wagon, you'll likely quit because you'll never get "current". Especially when you're on "Day 4" and it's April.

• Complex Structure: Some plans have daily readings with Old and New Testament verses. That's like watching 5 minutes of "A New Hope" and "Return of the Jedi" back-to-back every day. Flashbacks and flashforwards are for movies, not the Bible.

• One Version: With some plans, you're often stuck with just one translation.

But the Logical Theological Reading Plan is simpler, untimed, and sequential. And with its Level 1 focus, you can alternate between many translations. Tracking progress is easy.

So What Does the Logical Theological Reading Plan Look Like?

Just download the Google Sheet and see for yourself!

No frilly self-care devotions or coffee cup quotes. Each book has its row, with columnar blocks for each chapter. Just read your Bible and when you're done for the day, shade in the chapter blocks you've read. Think of it as a manual progress bar and coloring book.

Getting Started: Denial Is Your Friend. Collapse Every Section You Aren't Reading

But wait, aren't there more than 5 books in the Bible? Yep. But they're all grouped and collapsed. Denial is your friend right now. "Let tomorrow worry about itself." (Matt 6:34).

Seeing your progress build is fun, even addictive. Psychological research on the Arrival Fallacy indicates that people enjoy progressing toward a goal far more than attaining it. That's why the best part of a Rocky movie is the training montage, not the actual fight. And don't worry about anti-climactic depression. You still have Levels 2 (symbolic) and 3 (typological) to reach for. If only I had an allusion to a film with multiple sequels...

When you've shaded all the rows, collapse the completed section (press the "-" sign) and open the next section (press the black "+" box ). ONLY one section should be open at a time. Keep to your narrow path.

History Section Opened: Pay No Attention to the Books Behind the Curtain

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Last, there is nothing special about January 1. You don't need to wait until New Year's Day or first thing Monday morning. Starting the plan on a random Wednesday in November is just fine. So download the Google Sheet and get started today. If you have any trouble, just leave a post in the comments section and I'll try to figure it out. Try.

Next time: Semi-reliable, semi-useful, links and comments to keep you going (and be more interesting at parties).

The author felt called to City On A Hill ChurchDFW.com during Covid. Post-vaccination he snuck in, finding zero social pressure. He's a member now, and everyone knows he sucks at small talk. They don't care: it ain't that kind of church.