You write: "When the world around us becomes difficult to navigate and understand, it's tempting to turn to the Bible, not as a guide to how we might find God's guidance and inspiration for our own time by seeing how our religious ancestors did the same (often in radically different ways from each other), but as a shelter and refuge in which we can hide to avoid dealing with the world around us."

My response... Sometimes, people go through seasons where they need shelter and refuge. And we should seek refuge in the Lord. And immersing oneself in the word of God is a great way to seek refuge in the Lord.

I'm obviously not saying people shoudl STAY in refuge all the time. And I have met Christians who seem to just sit-and-soak. They rarely go out and serve. That's not good. But...

We do need to return to the nest from time to time to be nurtured, cared for, and protected.