THE NEED FOR BIBLICAL RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION BEYOND SECULARISM: CONCEPTS AND IMPORTANCE

This study attempts to push back the frontiers of human ignorance. The paper presents the concepts of research and biblical research and explains the significance of biblical research work to the church and the world at large. Principles underlying biblical research, types of biblical research, biblical epistemic beliefs, and the biblical research cycle are discussed in a manner that would assist the biblical researchers in any field of biblical educational studies. The paper asserts that biblical research holds the touch of true knowledge and that true knowledge can only be found in the word of God, the Bible. The study claims that the Bible is the only single source of God’s revelation to humanity that can be considered reliable, valid, inerrant, and infallible. The paper sets out to argue for the importance of engaging in biblical research with the aim of discouraging Christians and Christian scholars, pastors, and researchers from adopting and applying worldly or secular ideas to spiritual realities, rather encouraging them to conduct research from a biblical frame of reference. The study, therefore, adopts biblical exploratory research methodology to scholarly and deeply, with curiosity-driven exploration, engage with biblical texts to uncover the biblical truths that will enable Christian researchers and scholars to conduct research from a biblical frame of reference without relying on secularism. The research paper recommends and concludes that biblical research centres, institutes, and publishing outlets should be encouraged and funded by heavenly focused churches, Christian individuals, and organisations.