When I hear a statement like “This project is intended for…laypeople who seriously engage the Scriptures,” it gets to me like the “You must be at least this tall to ride this ride” sign. Sure, brand new Christians have a lot to learn, and it will take some growing in the basic doctrines of the faith, a routine of reading through the Scriptures, and sustained membership in the covenant community of faith before they grow tall enough to reach the line where they can ride some of the loop-the-loops. I get that. But a growing child anticipates that great day when they can reach the line to ride. The sign gets to them. It is their goal.

 
I was eager to read G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd’s latest book, Hidden But Now Revealed, this summer. And I was not disappointed. Reading this book helped me to learn more about the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament. By a thorough study of the use of the word mystery in the Bible, the authors teach both the continuity and discontinuity of the Old Testament in the New—what was hidden, but is now revealed.

But I would like to talk about a different mystery. There was a statement made in the introduction about the target audience for this book that I found perplexing. Of course, it is good to clearly state who the book is intended for. And the looks of this book can be a bit intimidating. It is close to 400 pages and it’s written by a couple of professors. So is this a book aimed at seminary students? Not exactly. The authors tell us, “This project is intended for students, scholars, pastors and laypeople who seriously engage the Scriptures” (26).

That statement made me pause. Well, it was the last part about laypeople who seriously engage the Scriptures that made me pause. Shouldn’t all laypeople seriously engage the Scriptures? Isn’t that both the delight and duty of the Christian?

And yet, I don’t blame the authors for making this distinction. Given the market of so-called Christian books, this qualification needs stating. And let me be clear that Beale and Gladd do not mean that they have written an academic book that a small percentage of sharp and conditioned laypeople may have the fitness to read. In the same paragraph they explain that they have been carefully purposeful in the organization of this book to make it more accessible to the layperson. I can affirm that they are successful in their mission.

One reason for making a statement like that about the readership is that Beale and Gladd are dealing with texts in Scripture that have perplexed many able scholars. But as a layperson, that makes me even more eager to want to learn from those who have been equipped to teach on these complex themes in Scripture. After all, the Holy Spirit included it in the Word of God for a reason.

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