Eternity News is starting a new weekly column called ‘Read the Bible with…’, in which we’ll interview a Christian about how they read the Bible. Some will be famous; some not so much. We hope it helps you rediscover the beauty of the Bible. We’re launching this week with the CEO of the Bible Society, Greg Clarke.

Where do you live and go to church?

When I’m in Sydney, my family and I attend a couple of Anglican churches in the east. Otherwise, I’m a grateful visitor at lots of churches around the country.

Name a Bible character you resonate with and why.

David has always appealed. He’s a poet, a songwriter, a philosopher, and still good with a slingshot. A great leader, but also emotional and vulnerable; he would have been a fantastic friend. Sadly, I’m not really a bit like him! Actually, he’s also very flawed, which I do get.

What’s one thing from the Bible that’s stuck in your brain at the moment?

I’ve been mulling over the proverb that James quotes (“God opposes the proud, but shows favour to the humble”) and thinking how life-changing it is, how challenging it is, and how patiently the humble have to believe it!

Name one part of the Bible you keep coming back to again and again and why.

Colossians 1:15-20. It’s the cosmic picture of the significance of Christ. Jesus is not only the babe in the manger, but the source of creation and the one for whom creation exists. The complete representation of God. It blew my mind when I started to wrestle with it as a maturing Christian. Still does.

Describe one of your Bible reading failures and what you learnt.

I was a ‘quiet time’ teenager, reading a little every day. At university, I rejected that for reading big slabs and getting the bigger picture. Since Bible Society’s ’25 Words’ programme in 2012, I’ve been re-appreciating the value of nuggets of Scripture regularly and reflectively. So, I failed for about 15 years to see that meditating on the word was important.

And now for something completely random, if you were a monster what would be your defining feature?

I’d definitely want to be a dragon – flight, fire-breathing, the lot.

Be part of this column. Share your answers to these questions here.

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