I have been spending time rereading Marcus
Borg's 2003 book, The Heart of Christianity. I have to say that I
don't agree with everything Marcus Borg says in his writings, but as a college
professor of mine once said, "If you can't find something you agree with
and something you disagree with when you read any book, then you haven't read
critically enough." Having prefaced my comments with such words, let
me share something Marcus Borg wrote about the Bible that I do agree with - it
is on page 48 where he writes, "But a clear vision of the Bible
and its role in the Christian life requires seeing it as both sacred scripture
and human product. It is human in origin, and sacred in status and
function."
What does this mean? For me, it means that the Bible is both the sacred writing of an infallible God and the historical product of fallible humans. While it is impossible to read the Bible as if it were a divine Dictaphone, the Bible does contain the Word of God that is infallible in matters of faith and practice. The art of interpretation is how you unpack Scripture so that you separate the societal norms and cultural milieus of its ancient worldview - which are conditioned by time and space - from the Word of God that reveals the nature of God and human condition - which are eternal through time and space. All this requires a focus on the meaning of the stories that explores the Bible for what it really is; a theological book written to tell us what God looks like, what we look like, and what God requires of us.
So, what is Holy about the Bible? Everything, if you understand that while you may not want to interpret every story in the Bible as literal history (like the creation stories of Genesis) there is literal truth on every page of Scripture. Through a steady diet of reading Holy Scripture every day, we can discover what is Holy about the Bible, and that is a journey that helps us to discover what is the mind of Christ, what is a heart for God, and what is the courage that can sustain us in the living of our days on earth.Perhaps October would be a good month for you to explore the Bible by reading a chapter a day. There are four full weeks in October. What if you spent the first three weeks reading the Gospel of John, which has 21 chapters? All you need is 1/2 hour a day for reading and meditation. Then use the final week to read through the three epistles of I John, 2 John, 3 John. Those three epistles have 7 chapters total. Within the month of October you will have read through the Gospel of John and the 3 epistles of John. When you read ask yourself the questions of meaning . . . what do these stories tell me about God, and about myself and about the relationship that God is calling me into with God and the world around me? If you do, then you may discover infallible truths that transcend both time and space, the truths that will help you discover what is on God’s mind, what is in God’s heart, and the courage displayed by the One who came to save us all.
God bless you on your journey.
Dennis
What does this mean? For me, it means that the Bible is both the sacred writing of an infallible God and the historical product of fallible humans. While it is impossible to read the Bible as if it were a divine Dictaphone, the Bible does contain the Word of God that is infallible in matters of faith and practice. The art of interpretation is how you unpack Scripture so that you separate the societal norms and cultural milieus of its ancient worldview - which are conditioned by time and space - from the Word of God that reveals the nature of God and human condition - which are eternal through time and space. All this requires a focus on the meaning of the stories that explores the Bible for what it really is; a theological book written to tell us what God looks like, what we look like, and what God requires of us.
So, what is Holy about the Bible? Everything, if you understand that while you may not want to interpret every story in the Bible as literal history (like the creation stories of Genesis) there is literal truth on every page of Scripture. Through a steady diet of reading Holy Scripture every day, we can discover what is Holy about the Bible, and that is a journey that helps us to discover what is the mind of Christ, what is a heart for God, and what is the courage that can sustain us in the living of our days on earth.Perhaps October would be a good month for you to explore the Bible by reading a chapter a day. There are four full weeks in October. What if you spent the first three weeks reading the Gospel of John, which has 21 chapters? All you need is 1/2 hour a day for reading and meditation. Then use the final week to read through the three epistles of I John, 2 John, 3 John. Those three epistles have 7 chapters total. Within the month of October you will have read through the Gospel of John and the 3 epistles of John. When you read ask yourself the questions of meaning . . . what do these stories tell me about God, and about myself and about the relationship that God is calling me into with God and the world around me? If you do, then you may discover infallible truths that transcend both time and space, the truths that will help you discover what is on God’s mind, what is in God’s heart, and the courage displayed by the One who came to save us all.
God bless you on your journey.
Dennis
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