Reflections
Thoughts about living a more beautiful story.
But could it be wrong?
Could the Bible be wrong? It's a foundation-shaking question for those who are Jews or Christians. It is so problematic that most Christians I know will not even consider any answer besides a certain, loud "NO!" To many the answer must be "NO" because the Bible is God's Word, and God cannot lie, so there cannot be any lies, contradictions, or inconsistencies in it's compilation of 66 pieces of literature. The Bible is without error in everything it touches, and so it absolutely cannot be wrong about anything.
Jesus was coming soon.
Readers of the New Testament discover about 40 days after his resurrection Jesus disappeared into the atmosphere, promising to return in just the same way someday. That sounds great. I am all for that! But when will it happen? More importantly, when did the authors of the New Testament say it would happen?
God must have been just fine with it.
Although the book title has the effect of offending both people outside the faith and inside, the basic premise of the book is that we need to take the Bible seriously - but not literally.
What did Jesus really say? (And did he speak in red letters?)
For decades I've been reading the four accounts of Jesus' life and teaching - the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. From a young age I've enjoyed reading "red letter" editions of the Bible which use red fonts for the words spoken by Jesus.
Is Biblical Inerrancy a House of Cards?
Good, faithful people are taught that there are no discrepancies or contradictions in the scripture. Or, if there are things that seem like contradictions, there is a way to "harmonize" the divergent facts and still hold to the doctrine of inerrancy.
My story of following Jesus toward a more beautiful story since the 1980s, with evolving and expanding views of the love of God in and out of pastoral ministry.
Want to jumpstart your own journey? These books, podcasts, and individuals have guided me toward a more beautiful story and could help you too.