Who Wrote the Bible?
The question is direct. The answer takes us down many different paths.
Fundamentalists believe that God wrote their sacred texts - be it the Book of Mormon, the Koran, or the Bible. Since God wrote scripture, it must be followed directly, literally, and any deviation from it is heresy. Thus, Christian fundamentalists argue fiercely that the universe, created in seven 24-hour days, is only thousands of years old.
Presbyterians believe that "The Scriptures, given under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, are nevertheless the words of men, conditioned by the language, thought forms, and literary fashions of the places and times at which they were written. They reflect the views of life, history, and the cosmos which were then current (Confession of 1967, 9.29). Therefore, we have no problem imagining that the universe is billions of years old. Our task is to take scripture seriously, not literally. The Bible is not a paper pope; we do not worship the Bible. I believe that Jesus Christ is the literal Word of God, and I am ever grateful to God for the sixty-six books of the Bible, that through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, allows me to completely trust in its authority to teach me the truth about the faith, and specifically about Jesus Christ.
Why do some churches not allow women to teach men or speak in church? Why do they believe that homosexual orientation is a sin? Why do they fight science tooth-and-nail about the age of the universe? Why must women 'obey' their husbands? The answer to who wrote the Bible takes us down very different paths.
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In faith,
Pastor Tim
P.S. Next week - creationism.
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"Make love your aim, not biblical inerrancy, nor purity nor obedience to holiness codes... Biblical inerrancy is not upheld in Scripture and belief in the inerrancy of Scripture has nothing to do with salvation. Salvation is a matter of repentance and of faith in Christ Jesus. There is no domino theory in faith. Loss of one belief doesn't lead automatically to the loss of a second; it makes the second possible with greater integrity."
William Sloan Coffin, Credo
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This 13-week program offers life changing financial advice with a common sense approach to financial empowerment! Two preview sessions will be offered here at Faith. You may attend either Sunday, May 15th, at 10:30 a.m., or Wednesday, May 18th, at 6:30 p.m. Each session runs approximately 30 minutes.
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