Relevant Magazine recently published an article hardcore fundamentalist Christians would find controversial and possibly even heretical. The title: Fact or Fiction: What do we do when Scripture contradicts itself? Using various scripture from the four gospels that don’t quite match up, the author, Chris Blumhofer, argues that it is possibly that the “truth” we read is divinely inspired but not “bound by limits we impose.”
The author makes the distinction between interpreting biblical passages through what we WANT the bible to say versus what message the author intended to convey. Evolutionary creationists do not let their faith, for instance, be subjected to the discrepancies between Genesis account of creation and scientific fact. Careful scrutiny and study of scripture combined with faith and study of God’s creation allows us to more greatly understand our God.
One passage from the article stuck out:
“Christianity has always had a long tradition of faith seeking understanding. We don’t possess faith at the expense of critical thinking, or vice-versa. This means we have to confident and humble at the same time – not using inerrancy as a bludgeon in order to beat others into agreement with us...”
I don’t particularly agree with all aspects of this article, but I am open its possibilities because I believe God is so much greater than man’s limited comprehension of the scriptures.
Unfortunately, so many biblical counselors use the bible as a weapon against their patients. They believe their personal literal interpretation of every word in the bible elevates them to the status of God’s personal liaison. They discount the value of unique personal history and the wisdom that comes from studying God’s creation, through science and specifically, psychology.
There is danger in man’s definition of “literal.” It limits the scope of what God can accomplish. This is not a affirmation of the idea of multiple truths (God’s truth is the only truth) but rather a consideration that the truth is larger than could ever be written in a book.
The author makes the distinction between interpreting biblical passages through what we WANT the bible to say versus what message the author intended to convey. Evolutionary creationists do not let their faith, for instance, be subjected to the discrepancies between Genesis account of creation and scientific fact. Careful scrutiny and study of scripture combined with faith and study of God’s creation allows us to more greatly understand our God.
One passage from the article stuck out:
“Christianity has always had a long tradition of faith seeking understanding. We don’t possess faith at the expense of critical thinking, or vice-versa. This means we have to confident and humble at the same time – not using inerrancy as a bludgeon in order to beat others into agreement with us...”
I don’t particularly agree with all aspects of this article, but I am open its possibilities because I believe God is so much greater than man’s limited comprehension of the scriptures.Unfortunately, so many biblical counselors use the bible as a weapon against their patients. They believe their personal literal interpretation of every word in the bible elevates them to the status of God’s personal liaison. They discount the value of unique personal history and the wisdom that comes from studying God’s creation, through science and specifically, psychology.
There is danger in man’s definition of “literal.” It limits the scope of what God can accomplish. This is not a affirmation of the idea of multiple truths (God’s truth is the only truth) but rather a consideration that the truth is larger than could ever be written in a book.
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