Understanding and Using the Bible
The Bible’s Authority - Introduction
The Bible is used by many Christians as the source of authority for their faith. We often hear phrases like “the Bible says” or “the Bible teaches” or “it says in the Bible that…” and often these are introductions to statements which are hurtful or offensive!
I debated with conservative commentator Anne Atkins about homosexuality and accused her of being prejudiced. She assured me that she wasn’t – it was just that the Bible was anti-gay so she had to be. I almost had the sense she was sorry about this! Yet the truth is that the Bible doesn’t “say” anything.
The Bible is a collection of books written over hundreds of years and covering thousands of years of history. It is used in different ways by different people and is made up of different styles of writing by different authors writing in incredibly different contexts from each other and from us.
This should be our starting place when seeking to understand the Bible and it’s authority.
Read on to "By What Authority?"