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| Envelope #2
What do you know about The Bible?
The Bible is the account of God’s action in the world, and his purpose with all creation. The writing of the Bible took place over sixteen centuries and is the work of over forty human authors. It is quite an amazing collection of 66 books with very different styles, all containing the message God desired us to have. This compilation of booklets contains an astonishing variety of literary styles. It provides many stories about the lives of good and bad people, about battles and journeys, about the life of Jesus, and about early church activity. It comes to us in narratives and dialogues, in proverbs and parables, in songs and allegories, in history and prophecy. The accounts in the Bible were not generally written down as they occurred. Rather they were told over and over again and handed down through the years, before eventually being written down. Yet the same themes may be found throughout the book. Along with the diversity, there is also remarkable unity throughout. (Source: www.biblica.com) If you are a Deist, you may know about The Bible, but since it describes God's interaction with this world, you probably do not accept it and may want to end your journey through these Envelopes, but you are welcome to continue. And, regardless of your beliefs, you are probably aware of criticisms of the Bible such as: The Genesis creation narrative that asserts the universe and all forms of life on Earth were created directly by God sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago. This assertion is contradicted by radiocarbon dating of fossils, as well as modern understanding of genetics, evolution, and cosmology. Essentially, Creationists need to invoke miracles in order to compress the events of the earth's history into the biblical span of a few thousand years. The fact that the Gospels of the new Testament were written 40 or more years after the death of Jesus and that we have no real knowledge of the date or composition of the them. The challenge that some of the stories and events of The Bible are larger than life and therefore more likely to be based on myths rather than truth. So now we ask,"Where are you on The Bible?"
o The Bible has some historical relevance but it is more characterized by a collection of myths and stories. If you believe this, you might want to reflect on the multitudes of scholars and world leaders, and distinguished persons from history and in all walks of life who have trusted The Bible as a basis for their faith. Regardless, we wish you well; though you probably don't want to proceed further, but you are welcome to do so. If you want to continue, give some thought on your willingness to at least reflect some more on this subject of sprituality and return tomorrow to this spot to open Envelope #3.
o The Bible is true or at least largely true. If the Bible is true, this means it corresponds to reality. Consequently, what is real is true, what is unreal is false. The Bible documents miracles, but for those who agree a God exists who interacts with us, then miracles are possible. Evidence for a Bible that is true can take many forms. There is, for instance, physical evidence. We have copies of the manuscripts and throughout history these copies show that the Bible has been transmitted accurately. Despite common skeptical claims that the Bible has often been changed through the centuries, the physical evidence tells another story. The New Testament records are incredibly accurate. There are minor differences in manuscripts, called variants, but none of these variants impact or change key Christian beliefs or claims. Other physical evidence includes archeological finds. The Archaeological Study Bible presents many notes and articles documenting how archeology has again and again proven that the Bible does correspond to historical reality. There are other kinds of evidence that the Bible is true. These have to do with internal consistency and coherence. Although the Bible was written over many centuries by different writers, the messages it contains are coherent and consistent. The Bible presents a coherent theology and worldview and presents this material consistently. If you accept the Bible, return tomorrow to this spot to open Envelope #3. |
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