I received a question from a reader on the post Your Church is Not Biblical: “how do you follow the Christian faith when you are so critical of the Bible?” First, I’m not (that) critical of the Bible, at least not in the way I think this question intends. Anyone who is serious about Christianity… Continue reading More Than Words
Category: The Bible
Why I Don’t Often Read the New International Version (NIV)
The NIV isn’t the worst translation you could read. It has accessible, modern language. It tries to eliminate at least some gendered language in places where gendered language has changed with the culture, makes no sense or becomes a stumbling block while reading. Myself, I almost always use the NRSV day-to-day, so I have my… Continue reading Why I Don’t Often Read the New International Version (NIV)
Your Church is not Biblical
Recently a friend pointed out to me that a couple of disgruntled former members of our church had written Google reviews about our church saying we weren’t “Biblical.” Setting aside the facts that we read and teach on the Bible every single week and giving your former faith community an uncharitable and inaccurate review seems… Continue reading Your Church is not Biblical
How Many Donkeys?
In a previous post, Apples Are Not Bananas, Theology Is Not History, I discussed what I think is a major problem in either criticizing or defending the Bible. Namely, we shouldn’t be taking the Bible as literal, inerrant history. It was never intended to be read as such. Somehow, inerrantists have decided that there is… Continue reading How Many Donkeys?
Apples Are Not Bananas, Theology Is Not History
How do ex-Christians lose their faith? There are too many paths to count, but a primary way is to become disillusioned when they find out that the Bible isn’t what they thought it was. I wanted to outline some common arguments I hear from Christians-turned-atheists and why I think typical Christian apologetics fails to answer… Continue reading Apples Are Not Bananas, Theology Is Not History
Reading Bart Ehrman Will Not Turn You into An Atheist
I remember one time I was reading Bart Ehrman’s book, Did Jesus Exist? and I left it on my coffee table when a friend came over. The friend was instantly ruffled by the book’s title, and no doubt, the name of the author. “Of course Jesus existed, what a waste of time!” I can understand… Continue reading Reading Bart Ehrman Will Not Turn You into An Atheist
My Favorite Metaphors for Scripture
We’ve been handed some strict ideas about the Bible that can sometimes stifle our approach to reading and interpretation. Specifically, many Christians approach scripture as a finished, infallible work that we simply take facts from. I prefer to think of scripture as part of a tradition with which we constantly engage while attentively listening for… Continue reading My Favorite Metaphors for Scripture
I Read The Bible Differently Than You Do
That title is provocative. But true. You see, we all read the bible differently. That is an inescapable fact, no matter how frustrating you find it to be. My more fundamentalist friends won’t like that. A lot of Christians would like to believe that there is one right interpretation. The Bible has one right answer… Continue reading I Read The Bible Differently Than You Do
Five Insights About the Gospel of Mark
As we continue into a new lectionary year focused on the Gospel of Mark, I wanted to dive into that book a little deeper than I normally do. Naturally, one of the first places I turned for an overview was Pete Enns and the Bible for Normal People podcast. I’m a big fan and listen… Continue reading Five Insights About the Gospel of Mark
Answering a Fool According to Their Folly
One of my least favorite activities to witness is fundamentalists debating atheists on YouTube. Depending on who posted the video, it is always titled something like, “Biblical scholar destroys atheist,” or, “Physicist ruins Christianity.” And the arguments on both sides are usually based on some kind of literal interpretation of the Bible. The fundamentalist will… Continue reading Answering a Fool According to Their Folly