2 Timothy 3:16-17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works."
This week the leader of a Christian musical
group Gungor, Michael Gungor, stated that he does not believe in the inerrancy
of the bible. In particular, he does not
believe in a literal view of the story of the flood. Later, he attempted to sort things out by
giving some perspective on this issue.
Mostly he pointed out that he is not questioning the tenants of our
faith, but calls into question some of the stories. He added, “"NO REASONABLE PERSON takes
the entire Bible completely literally.”
(emphasis is his) And the fight
was on!!
I have included a link to an article that
gives a rather favourable view of the story.
His critics were quick to point out that
bible scholars much smarter than he insist the bible has to be read
literally, including the story of flood.
Equally, as vehement was the calling to question the faith of this man. And a not-so-subtle hint that one best be a
creationist or one is not a Christian.
They
did not point out that there are biblical scholars that are much smarter that
he is, that insist that it be read with a different perspective, more of an
illustrative view. Nor did they point
out that there are other stories of the flood.
I
find, and this is only my opinion, the entire “Inerrancy of Scripture”
argument is a thin disguise for a rather repugnant agenda. Generally the insistence that the bible is
without error is an insistence that the person making such a claim has the
right interpretation. The attempt to
gain “biblical authority” is nothing more than attempt to usurp the other person’s
relationship with God. In short, it is a
how dare you believe differently than I?
It
is this emphasis on getting things correct that is concerning. It is game that I see my atheist, evangelical
atheist, friends play, and it is an odd game.
There currently is a debate about whether Nazareth actually ever
existed. In a review of Archeological
literature, Rene Salm, concluded that Nazareth did not exist during the time of
Christ. This review was used to prove
that Jesus did not exist.
The
thinking behind this is that if Nazareth did not exist, then Jesus of Nazareth
could not have existed. Thus, many
atheists used this man’s article to refute the existence of Christ. It is also atheists that often engage in
biblical literalism in order to argue against our faith. They do not recognize that the bible often
uses allegory, hyperbole, and parables, that it requires a different kind of
reading.
I
see us Christians playing just as dangerous a game in claiming the inerrancy of
the bible. This emphasis on the accuracy
most often extends into issues of doctrine.
Thus, if I am right about the bible, then I am right about my doctrine,
and if you do not agree with me you are wrong.
I have had people claim that the bible clearly states some doctrine and
my insistence of believing otherwise calls into question my faith. It is a game
I do not truly understand nor will I play.
For
me, and this is the only perspective that I offer here, there are essential truths
to the Christian faith. Beyond those
central beliefs, it seems that it is just a distraction. Is it important for me to believe that God
created the earth in six days? And that
the earth is only 6,500 years old? Will I
be more compassionate with this belief? Will
I be more Christ like? As for the flood,
will this make me a better Christian? I
know that there are other accounts of the flood, but does having this assurance
make my faith better?
What
seems to be clear are the commandments about love. Yes, I will admit that I am cherry picking verses,
love occurs only about 800 times in the bible.
What seems to be clear in scripture is that I be of service to
others. I often wonder why those are not
the verses that us Christians are adamant that people take literally?
Let me steal the thoughts of another put
more eloquently than I could.
In my
view, inerrancy regularly functions to short-circuit rather than spark our
knowledge of the Bible. Contrary to its intention to preserve the truthfulness
of Scripture and the truth-telling God behind it, inerrancy prematurely shuts
down rigorous inquiry into what the Bible’s “truthfulness” means, and so
interrupts rather than fosters careful reading of Scripture.
Peter Enns The Inerrancy Debate
This is the link to that article
My experience in my life of faith is that
it is full of contradiction, and inconsistencies, and requires an ability to
live with that tension. A life of faith often
means we wrestle with great questions.
And often, we come up with different answers during different times of
our lives.
Those
who insist that the bible is inerrant, I believe not only seek to claim an
authority that is not theirs to claim, but also are attempting to provide
certainty for themselves, they are trying to avoid this part of faith. Faith demands that we be able to live with
uncertainty.
Although
there is much more that I could say, I will stop here. I realize that I have been somewhat long
winded, and not sure if I really made a point.
Thanks for your indulgence.
Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Sometimes there is a more important principle behind the story. I dont hold to a 6000 year old earth either or literal 6 days creation. Am I not a Believer because of that?
ReplyDeleteWe all at some points in our walk question many things about that walk. When we stop questioning then we start believing all of the white noise that surrounds the truth that we are being fed by others.
I have said it before and I will say it again. "With over 26000 Christian Denominations (not including Catholic and their various factions) not everyone can be right about everything or they would all agree on every aspect of the faith.
Was there a Creation by a Creator - Absolutely! Was there a flood that covered the earth - I believe yes. The new Testament adds Noah in as a hero of the faith in Hebrews 11. It also tells us Noah found grace......ask ourselves what is the greater principle here?
This is one of teh best posts you have written. Keep it up.