This is the title of a talk on preaching I will listen to next week.  I'd love to problematise the title, and I have several preconceived notions about the tack the talk will take, but it has at its core something very important, namely that the Bible is so important we need to think carefully how we handle it.

So how about historical material?  (Yes, I'm off on my research tack now). If we believe that reading about the past is important, and if we believe (as I do) that we can learn lessons that inform our present and shape our future, what does this mean about how we treat historical stuff?

I think this means something like, what is the parallel between Bible study and preaching and historical study and something-or-other-ing.  I'm not sure what that something-or-other is yet.

Put another way, what can I take from Biblical studies and hermeneutics that I can bring to historical stuff, not to treat is as 'gospel' in the way the word if popularly used, but so that it might actually become Gospel - as in 'good news' - for postmodern humanity?

Or, to put it yet another way, by reading the stories of God's people in, say , 17th century English Baptist churches, and reflecting upon them, how might we actually begin to detect something of God's voice, or authentic discipleship or, which is my interest, ways of approaching potential for change? 

The story of God's people in scripture is far richer than much of the history I read, but I can see more and more parallels as I go along.  When I was about 12 I asked someone what came after the Bible - in other words where was the continued record of the story of God's people.  Being a lot older I know that there isn't such a thing as The Bible Volume 2, yet somehow, there is a sense that all the dusty tomes hidden in archives form part of that non-existent book.

Rightly handling the word of truth - using the Bible with due care and respect: absolutely.  Though what it means is, I suggest, far from absolute.  Rightly handling the non-canonised stories of God's people - that seems important too, but quite what it means, I'm less sure - yet.