The Challenge of Biblical Literacy — Part Two

Biblcal Authority

by Steve Kindle

“The Bible says….” is the mantra of many a conservative Christian. This is used to end all argument, cease discussion, and let the speaker have the final word. The authority of the Bible in this instance is in two places. First, in the mind of the speaker regarding what the text means; and two, in the uncritical acceptance of the surface meaning of the words. It’s no wonder that many people, with only this view of biblical authority, throw up their hands and surrender the Bible to the literalists. But–is this the only recourse? Is there not a better way for the Bible to be utilized by the church? Can the Bible be redeemed?

Many congregations prefer book studies to biblical studies. It seems easier to get to basic Christian understandings from novels or nonfiction rather than the Bible. But a very gigantic step is omitted here. When a conclusion is reached that is deemed appropriately Christian, how is one to know? By what standard can one decide? Ultimately, the process of determining Christian appropriateness or inappropriateness leads ultimately to the Bible. Or theology, which is refined biblical thinking.

Lily Tomlin famously said that “Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.” That is true also of biblical authority. That’s why matters of Christian doctrine and ethics have changed over the millennia. The Christian community, or a subset, gathers the data and makes decisions. Decisions that are (or should be) tentative and subject to change. That data, to a large extent, is biblical. When biblical illiteracy, or its twin, the ignoring of biblical data, operates in Christian communities, the community is set adrift, unmoored to that which created it and no longer sustains it. This is why biblical literacy is so important.

Here’s where the authority of the Bible gets tricky. There is in reality no such thing as “the Bible,” as though it were a known commodity that presents itself clearly in all (or any) occasion. When we appeal to “the Bible,” we are actually drawing upon a set of known and diverse opinions, often from great minds of the ages, but also of our own making. The Bible has an amorphous quality that easily forms itself around our expectations. It also contains errors, misjudgments, irrelevancies, and sub-Christian thinking. It is obviously a product of human beings interspersed with moments of pure inspiration and grandeur. Therefore, to be led by the Bible is no guarantee that the outcome will necessarily be right. Yet, it is the starting point for theological and interpretive giants like Walter Brueggemann, Dom Crossan, R.T. Wright, and so many others. They mine the texts and deliver brilliant outcomes. How could they do it if there is nothing there?

The study of the Bible has been deemed essential as one of the pillars of Christian understanding. It must be done in the full light of its limitations and ours. The place to begin is to learn its content, at least have a sense of where things are and why they are there. Then we can move on to thinking theologically and critically, but we must know the data. To that end, we at Pastor2Pew are here to assist congregations and individuals to help make this possible. We are about to launch a comprehensive video course, “Master Your Bible,” that addresses learning biblical content guided by critical thinking. You will be notified when it is available.