Over the past few years much of my reading has been on the more radical theology side, raising questions over perceived orthodoxy, mission etc. Much of this has given good arguements about why we need to question our approaches and offered a lot of questions about how we are shaped by culture into our orthodox views. Every few years I try to read the bible cover to cover and over the years picked some of the main examples where the text challeneges the percived orthodoxy of the day (Peters vision), but even though I have done a cover to cover reading in the last few years it is only now that I am picking up more nuances in the text and even more explicit examples (samson) where God encourages/allows the perceived orthodoxy to be broken.
Obviously there is the role of reader and what I am bringing to the text, but I am left wondering two things, how much is God directing these perceptions and how do we open ourselves up to the breadth of the text when the position of the reader plays such and important role.