Holy Bible?

When I was growing up I was always taught the Bible was inerrant; it was authoritative, literal word of God. It was a textbook that contained all the truth of life. It was a cheat sheet; any question you had about what to do you could go to the Bible and get a simple, clean, and easily understood answer.

The problem is, that doesn’t hold up to a close and faithful reading of the Bible itself.

We’re taught that the Bible is a text book that should be believed 100% to be factual and historical. Things certainly happened exactly as they are recorded in the Bible itself.

Problem is, any close reading of the text will reveal that the Bible itself has conflicting stories, structures, and ideals. Which story of creation is the right one? Genesis 1 or Genesis 2:3? Did Noah take 2 or 7 of clean animals onto the ark? Is it Joshua or Judges that properly records the way that the promise land was settled? Is the the book of Kings that properly records history or the book of Chronicles?

It’s not just confined to the Hebrew Scriptures either. Which Gospel records the actual, historical order of Jesus’s life and ministry? Is it Matthew or Luke that has the proper genealogy of Jesus? Who records the events of the Jerusalem council correctly, the book of Acts or Paul’s letters?

Any straightforward reading of the books contained in the Bible reveals ongoing conversations, different and unique genres, and mixtures of fiction and non-fiction writing (by today’s nomenclature).

The same is true when we try to treat the Bible like a cheatsheet for life, and resource where we can go to get “all the answers to life.” Is marriage between a man and a woman or is it between a man, multiple women, and he can have concubines on the side? Is marriage something to be celebrated or merely tolerated so that people don’t burn in their passion? Are we supposed to offer sacrifices to God or are we not (which appears to be debated even within the Hebrew Bible)? Should slaves be freed to live as brothers and sisters with us or are they to be good slaves, with a core reality of brother/sisterhood that doesn’t really change our current circumstances?

The Bible isn’t a book with a singular story or, in some ways even, a singular message. It is a library of books that contains the effort of people trying to find the ineffable, listen to and follow God, search for and rest in the Divine. And just like us, sometimes the characters and stories in the Bible get it wrong; sometimes they make progress, but not enough; sometimes there is a debate between characters and books in the Bible.

If we treat the Bible like a textbook or a cheatsheet for life we miss that. We miss the richness of the Biblical narrative and tradition if we treat it like an Idiots Guide to a Good Life that can be copied and pasted at will.

I grew up thinking that conservatives and fundamentalists really respected the Bible. But I found that not to be true, because when we start really critically studying the Bible we’re told we’re going astray. I learned that what they really respect is their singular reading of the text, and it’s one that doesn’t even really take it all seriously.

If the Bible, or probably any holy book for that matter, only supports your preconceived notions, your already established beliefs, your prejudices and politics, you aren’t taking it seriously enough to call yourself a follower of the faith, or faiths, it promotes.