Insight from a Liberal?

I am currently reading The Making of American Liberal Theology by Gary Dorrien. It outlines the growth of American liberal theology from Unitarians to current times. Even though this book is riddled with the errors of liberal theology, I found some profound insights by one influential liberal.

Horace Bushnell (1802 - 1876) was a man that was orthodox in many respects. His contribution to liberal theology was more of a point of view than modifications of any doctrine. He taught that the basis of theology was located in the intuition of mankind's spiritual nature rather than logical study.

Because of this emphasis, he had great insight into emotional matters that related to spirituality. Upon learning from one of his daughters that she did not get life from reading the Bible, he offered this insightful advice.

My own experience is that the Bible is dull when I am dull; and that when I am really alive, and set in upon the text with a tidal pressure of living affinities, it opens, multiplies discoveries and reveals depths even faster than I note them. The worldly spirit, in some form of indifferentism, shuts the Bible; the Spirit of God makes it a fire, flaming out all meanings and more glorious truths.

The question then is what makes us dull and how does one become alive. I believe that there are several answers. When we ignore the plain teaching of Scripture, refuse to repent and make restitution of the sins we have committed, or become lopsided and neglect other devotional aspects of our lives, we become dull in our spiritual life. Rather than blame the Bible for our lack of life, we should examine ourselves so we bring life to our study.