You’re an imaginative Bible reader.

You see Bible stories come alive while daydreaming, and if someone could project what’s playing in your head they might get a feature film of a Bible storyline. When someone says something in the text, you wonder about the emotion behind the words and what they were thinking. When something happens in Bible stories, your mind wanders into hypotheticals about why they acted that way and question everybody’s reaction.

You appreciate the Bible as a work of art, a literary masterpiece. It’s something you can come to, time and time again, and see from a new perspective. But sometimes you resist memorizing the text or chunking out a short devotional time because you fear missing out on the bigger, thematic movements in the Scriptures. When you finish your Bible readings, you’re still curious. Curious is good! This is your superpower. Scroll down to see how to change things up.

How to Change Things Up

  1. Take more content for face value and as propositional truth. Not everything in the Bible is a signpost for layered meaning. Some texts should be read literally and straightforwardly. Could you be making too much of the small details and too little of the direct truths presented in the text? Don’t rein in your imagination, just pair it with good ole’ observation questions and start taking things to the heart quicker.

  2. Invite more people and resources into your study process. Sometimes imaginative Bible readers get in their own head with the Bible stories and don’t process with others. Process what you are reading with a diverse group of people. Ask yourself what voices are missing from your scholarly and pastoral resources. Are women and people of color represented? Have you ever read an opposing view or commentaries from a different faith tradition or denomination?

  3. Memorize more Scripture. You likely prefer reading large portions of the text and comparing and contrasting different parts of the Bible to see the bigger picture. Keep doing that. And also, start zeroing in on some bite-size verses that you can memorize. Scroll down to get the PDF of all three types.

Download the Guide

Are you curious about the other two types of readers?

Want some book recommendations based on your type?

Kat created a Bible reader’s guide, but it’s reserved for folks who’ve pre-ordered a Bible study from the Storyline Bible Studies Series.

Honor code, people.