BIBLE

Talk about controversy.

From bible thumpers to politicians, everybody uses the Bible for their own purposes. That’s the problem with being the bestselling book of all time: everyone wants it on their side. People respond differently to that controversy; some dismiss it completely while others cling to a literalist translation. For us, because we are followers of Jesus, most important is remembering his relationship to it. He treated the Old Testament as authoritative, and the New Testament tells his life and message. For that reason the Bible is our authority. Neither a rule book nor guidebook, it is the story of God dealing with people. Preserved through centuries and handed down to us, we try to understand it in the spirit it was written. So our reading is colored by our knowledge of the original context, the overall story, and the interpretations of the generations that have gone before us. We receive it as from God, and we are always trying to learn more about it.