Individualised learning is a new idea!
The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, a German goldsmith, around 1439. He then went on to publish his major work, the Gutenberg Bible. In previous centuries illiteracy was widespread, and the scarcity of books meant that the Bible was part of a communal aural/oral tradition. Until then the Bible was always read aloud in groups, then discussed, debated, argued over, reflected upon – together. Hearing the Bible read and asking questions were part of one and the same, communal activity. The richness of this type of learning was profound.
All this is why meeting together, on a regular basis, is so important for the church. The spiritual and ethical battle is the one that we fight day-to-day, week- in-week-out. So we gather to sing our hymns, to worship together, to learn to see life from a biblical worldview, to rehearse our values and to remind ourselves that we are called to be holy. We gather to remember who we are: the people of God, the followers of Jesus.