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How to Carry Out SE Research

Not much has been thought about Scripture Engagement research. There are two types:

  1. Research before starting S.E. work
  2. Research to find out how well existing published Scriptures (often print New Testaments) are being used
I will focus on the former.

It's very tempting to dive into making Scripture Engagement products without really thinking through what the needs are, what works and what doesn't, and what people are likely to respond to. Here are some ideas:
  • Find out whether the culture is honour-shame, power-fear, or purity-pollution. This will help you know how to frame the good news in such a way that people will light up in understanding, assuming the Holy Spirit is at work in their lives. To do that one tool is the culture test, though it doesn't cover purity-pollution as a paradigm
  • Read Wayne Dye's article on the Eight Conditions of Scripture Engagement, then fill out a questionnaire based on that article. Give each condition a rating, then work on any conditions that have a low rating e.g. 1-3 if you are scoring out of 5
  • Carry out an anthropological study of the group or nation you are working with to give you some ideas for further S.E. research
Some of the eight conditions my seem very hard to fix. For instance, Spiritual Hunger (Condition 6). Surely either people have it or they don't? Well, that's not completely true. All people have needs, including spiritual needs. Meeting those needs is one step to reaching them. I remember meeting a guy in inner city Coventry who had been helped hugely by a small Gospel hall ('Open' Brethren). He then told me that he believed in a God who can meet his physical needs, like for a new carpet, but wanted to know how he could have hope in being with God in heaven. We started a men's Bible study in his front room that very month! Another difficult condition is Freedom to Commit (Condition 7). Surely people either live in countries with freedom of religion, or they are persecuted for their faith? Well it's not quite that simple. Often there is a hidden curriculum in our teaching i.e. values that we teach, often non-verbally. One example would be the way we dress. Others who come to faith subconsciously start to copy our dress style and give up their own for ours, which might be Western. It's worth encouraging new believers to think in terms of starting an alternative culture within their home culture, so becoming a Jewish/Muslim/Hindu/etc-background follower of Jesus. Once such a sub-culture has developed it makes it much easier for others to become Jesus people, as it were. It's worth getting some input from a Scripture Engagement consultant to help with problems like this.
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