Bible

Out and about in the car yesterday, I managed to catch some snippets of the BBC Radio 4 King James Bible programme. The readings are available as podcasts for the next little while, and I highly recommend them based on the little I heard yesterday. It struck me that though we treat the Bible as [...]

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Some comments have been provoked on other posts about the use of the words ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘fundamentalism’. I’m a preacher, and I believe strongly that words should be used as precisely as possible, so I thought it might be helpful to clarify what I think these words mean. (Of course, I’m as guilty as the [...]

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At the heart of almost every controversy in the church lies a deceptively simple question: “How do we read the Bible?” It shouldn’t be surprising that different Christians (and parties of Christians) interpret the Bible differently. We’ve been doing that for a very long time. Where it becomes urgent is when one party “unchurches” another [...]

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Another reblog I’m afraid, from the early day of my blogging
One way or another, I’ve been involved in lots of conversations recently about the Bible and how we read it. When Christians disagree, very often the “nub” amounts to a diiferent way of reading the scriptures. There are many approaches to the Bible, but not [...]

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I’m reblogging this post as part of the conversation that’s going on about how we use the Bible. I’m not able to write anything fresh today, and this still says what I want it to. I’d also point you to Why Bible-believing Methodists Shouldn’t Eat Black Pudding, Bishop Alan: Reading the Bible 101 and Internet [...]

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In view of Tim Chesterton’s response to a comment by DH in the thread to my post “Hauerwas on spirituality: ‘the assholes got it’”, here is the first hymn I ever wrote (in desperation, simply because I couldn’t find a hymn in any of the hymnbooks I have that say what I wanted to sing [...]

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Tim Chesterton has been looking again at C.S. Lewis on the inspiration of scripture. Here’s a morsel to whet your appetite
It is Christ Himself, not the Bible, who is the true Word of God. The Bible, read in the right spirit and with the guidance of good teachers will bring us to Him. When it [...]

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I’ve been messing about with Bitstrips again.
I don’t think Dave Walker has anything to worry about.

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About 2 years ago I wrote a post in response to my friend Randy and InternetMonk entitled A novel idea for churches - read the Bible. I expressed a certain amount of surprise that there were churches where the Bible is little read.
Now Craig confirms that this is an issue for the Australian church too. [...]

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Olive is on a bit of a roll at the minute. First, she reminds me that I haven’t welcomed the election of our new President and Vice-President for next year. That was remiss of me.
Second, she points to a report in the Telegraph that Only 10% of Britons know the Bible. Olive is right - [...]

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A very useful post from my favourite blogging bishop
In the same way as “original instruments” recordings are not, in fact, the only or even the best possible ways to get your Bach, we have to lay aside earnest Victorian literalism and come alive again to the riches of the Biblical texts as they are. Ancient [...]

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Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate, has been lamenting the state of British student’s knowledge of both the Bible and classical mythology. (Listen here)
The Poet Laureate said: “I’m not trying to give them a dusty and bitter pill to swallow here, I’m just saying that these stories achieve archetypal status because they tell us recurring truths [...]

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This cartoon needs no further comment. A little bit of genius.
From Naked Pastor via Randy

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Kim posts over at Faith and Theology on Blake and the Bible. He’ll only blub if I don’t give him a link. Here’s a taster:
Chesterton declared: “Critics say his [Blake’s] visions were false because he was mad. I say he was mad because his visions were true.” Absolutely! “Mad” in the way St. John the [...]

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I mentioned this very useful book in a comment the other day. It really is a most helpful introduction to the subject of Biblical interpretation, and will be of benefit to everyone, even non-Methodists who wouldn’t touch black pudding with a barge pole! I’m delighted to say that the book’s author, Stephen Dawes (who had [...]

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Paul Martin has been thinking about the Bible.
Just as he should.

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A guest post by Craig L. Adams
This is a common question. But, what does it mean to take the Bible “literally”? I feel that this term has often been misused or used foolishly. I sometimes think people should stop using the term “literal” to describe our beliefs about the Bible.
What does the word “literal” mean? [...]

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I hesitate to post this, but the urge is too strong. My friend Randy has a post headed A Shocking Agenda for the Church complete with link to the original post on Internetmonk.com. I wasn’t sure how to take it. Could it be a spoof? Among such items as “Put as much effort and [...]

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This post has stirred some controversy, with one person feeling it says that the post’s author and your blog host look on evangelicals as vermin. This is a complete mis-reading of the post, and I urge you to read the comments both here and on it’s first outing to see that for yourself. You might [...]

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