Those who identify as Christians fall, for the most part, into two categories, regardless of their denominational affiliation. Which category is determined by how they view and use the Bible.
One group views the Bible as the divinely inspired Word of God. Thus, it is treated as the final authority on all issues. These Christians use such terms as “infallible” and “inerrant” to describe the Bible. The Bible is to be read literally because “it says what it means and means what it says.” The historical context and culture that gave birth to a particular text are unimportant as the truth of what the text says is just as applicable today as it was in the day it was first spoken. Reading the Bible this way, every verse carries the same authority as any other—at least in theory. These Christians commonly pick and choose which verses they emphasize, depending on the issue being discussed. They commonly proclaim “The Bible says” to validate their positions and beliefs.
This way of reading and using the Bible leads to clearly defined right-and-wrong positions on every issue. It fosters black-and-white thinking with either-or positions on the issue. This black-and-white, either-or thinking tends to be fixed and rigid as “biblical truth—that is, “God’s truth” —is nonnegotiable. “Right belief” is central in this version of Christianity.
Those who view and use the Bible this way proudly call themselves conservatives and evangelicals. Originally, this group called themselves fundamentalists. This identity was tied to their embrace of seven core truths that they referred to as the fundamentals of the faith. The first of those seven fundamentals was this view of the Bible as the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. In the last half of the last century, these fundamentalists chose the name “evangelical” to replace the term “fundamentalist.”
Those who view and use the Bible this way refer to the other category of Christians as liberals. Members of this other group generally refer to themselves as progressives.
These so-called liberals or progressives hold differing views of the Bible. Many of them also hold the Bible in high regard but do not view it as infallible or inerrant. They acknowledge that it is divinely inspired while recognizing a human element in it. They identify within the Bible multiple understandings of God and how God interacts with the world—what today we call theologies. These multiple understandings reflect the cultural setting from which they came. Some of those understandings are at odds with other theologies in the Bible. Some actually challenge and contradict an earlier understanding. In the progressive’s way of thinking, all texts do not hold the same authority.
Progressives speak of Jesus—not the Bible—as the Word of God (John 1:1-18). Most view Jesus as the in-the-flesh expression of God who reveals to us what God is like while teaching us the ways of God (the kingdom). As such, Jesus is the final authority to which they turn. The Bible is read through the lens of Jesus. What does not align with the life, ministry, and teachings of Jesus is viewed as culturally conditioned and therefore nonbinding in today’s culture.
This approach to scripture emphasizes the teachings of Jesus as opposed to beliefs about Jesus. Following Jesus’s teachings about God, it understands the nature of God to be self-giving, servant love. Such love is expressed in grace and forgiveness. It embraces all—without exception, without condition—as beloved children of God. It is expressed in a servant spirit that seeks the good and wholeness of each beloved child of God. This focus makes justice issues a greater priority than moral issues. It seeks to establish a loving and just society for all—i.e., the kingdom of God. Thus, “right living” or right relationships (orthopraxy) takes priority over “right belief” (orthodoxy).
This way of viewing and using the Bible calls for disciplined thinking that is informed by biblical scholarship. It is less rigid as it continually seeks additional insight and understanding.
In my mind, the heart of the matter is the God revealed in scripture, not the scripture itself. Scripture is a tool given to us that we might know God and the ways of God. The God revealed to us in Jesus the-word-made-flesh—as recorded in scripture—is what is most important.
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