Abstract
This investigation of how the Methodist Church uses the Bible in its adult Christian education is a work of description and analysis. Through a process of reflective practice I describe how the question arose and develop five polarities to enable investigation of the data. To further understand issues of power and knowledge in education I apply an analytical approach of Foucault's to my case study material. The question is a complex one. The Bible persists clearly and strongly as an epistemological resource despite the problems it creates. Education is being used in response to organisational decline and is ambiguous towards the Bible as an epistemological resource. The Book/Scripture polarity is central to my argument. It offers an understanding of the epistemological persistence of the Bible and facilitates exploration of its relation with tacit knowledge using the suggestion of a cultural 'hauntology'. In that context I coin the term 'hortatory power' to describe techniques at work in the power games being played. Two dominant uses emerge from my case study, the Narrative and the Communication. I offer a definition of each that enables me to reflect on their educational and epistemological consequences. The emergence from this discussion of the notions of 'belonging not believing' and the 'learner as subject' help to clarify and raise questions about the adult Christian educational project and its use of the Bible. As a process for understanding the use of the Bible epistemologically and educationally the polarity and power analysis approaches that I have developed are effective and valuable. They offer ways forward for further exploring questions of education and knowledge as faith engages with culture in our plural society.