Summary Of Is The Bible True
REL 1310.47
November 10, 2014
Review Essay
Is the Bible true? Whether you are a Christian or not, it is likely you have asked yourself or someone else if the Bible is really entirely valid. William C. Placher is the author of the article “Is the Bible True?” In the article, he explains how the Bible is true no matter how it is interpreted by anyone who proceeds to read the Holy Book. The stories may not all be non-fiction or factual, but they have good morals behind the message which is what Jesus intended to do. Things have turned into an argument as to whether scripture is true or not, when one may not even be aware of the real meaning of the word “true”. Some assert that only the literal interpretations of the Bible are true. On the other hand, there are others …show more content…
who lie in the middle, wanting to be somewhat literalists but then again they do not at the same time, causing a confusion of how to interpret it correctly.
When asked if the Bible is true we want to be able to confidently answer our thoughts on this matter with no sense of contradicting statements or feelings. If we are stuck in between and not sure about what to say on this particular question, a lot of confusing talk can arise from this…or even an embarrassing silence, which is not the intent of any Christian who values the Bible. This is what I feel Placher is discussing throughout this whole entire article.
When discussing the Bible, the truth of a statement or story usually depends on what the underlying meaning really signifies. This can get lost in deliberations on biblical truth and whether or not it is actually true or what kind of story it may be. History works differently from fiction, it is in no way the same type of story. The Bible has many fictitious tales in it along with historical
stories. The historical stories are just not accurate like our history in modern times. First century authors did not keep records like we do now, they usually came back with a rough paraphrase of what happened, even if it was said to be history. Different cultures and writers understand history and its recordings in different ways, making parts of the Bible hard to figure out sometimes. The Bible may not all be historically accurate with its time and place or even the real author, but only because it has so many different genres of story in it. The many different authors and how they may see history is also a huge factor in this. While Genesis is be called a Saga by some, “an intuitive and poetic picture of a pre-historical reality of history” (Church Dogmatics 3/1), where animals talk and people live for centuries, other books have their own type or genre too. A few good examples are the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ last days or the stories of the reign of King David in 2nd Samuel, these read more like an eyewitness account of our Christian history. By looking at clues in the text, you may be able to discern the genre to yourself. When reading a fairy tail you may see “Once upon a time…” at the beginning, this triggers the obvious fairy tail. While reading the Bible, look for cues as to what the genre may be so you can learn to figure out what it is and better interprate and understand the story.
A writer’s culture will almost certainly have an impact on the way they write and compose something. Biblical authors were all different, from different cultures and traditions; therefore, they would write their portion of the Bible in a very different way than we do now, and a different way than each other. Also, different social and living conditions can give different words and concepts different meaning.
Similar issues pop up when we bring up the MUCH debated topic of homosexuality. In biblical times there were many, many different interpretations of it that I do not wish to go into. All that needs to be said is that it is thought of so differently in todays world than it was in biblical times, it is not even comparable. That is why it is so hard to be sure what is right and what is wrong between those times and now a days. Many complicated questions arise that are just too hard to answer; even experts cannot give a full answer to them because of the sole fact that no one can be sure without being present during the creating of the Bible. This is just one example of where someone may not think it is something they can trust, but that is the beauty of it.
Trust is not what we are looking for…but truth…is. In Hebrew, the true person is the one you can trust, so the book can be as well. There can be many reasons someone would not trust the Bible. The more important thing is how the Bible gives us the language in which to think about the world itself. This brings back in the fact that many books in the Bible are from different cultures. These cultures have different languages and just like we must learn a language first before we can better understand it, we must learn this language of the Bible. You are not just learning a new way to read, but also a new way to think and absorb information. Our lives can be transformed by trusting the Bible. This doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier to understand the Bible though.
A richer interpretation of the biblical world and its language can come from this immersion and trusting of the Bible. It is not just picking and choosing few of our favorite passages anymore and not knowing anything else. We can see its varieties, intricacies, and ambiguities. Just one of our problems these days is that fundamentalists and liberals do not do this. Fundamentalists just quote one passage and think they are done. While on opposite ends, we have liberals who just say nothing because they cannot remember any passage at all. If we believe that the Bible is really true, then we should want to, no not want, YEARN to put the work in to be able to fully know it is true and trust it.
Placher wants us to know that there will be uncertainties in the Bible. It is not that the stories are real stories but that the meanings are all true themselves. No matter what genre it is, a fairy tale, an apocalypse, or a factual narrative, he wants us to know we can trust it and it is and should be truth in our eyes. It will widen our horizons as a reader and believer so much more, knowing that it is true and we can understand the language used. Placher made many great points in the Article. Reading a text literally may not always be reading it in a faithful manner and he wants us to know that.
This article is definitely on point with what it is discussing. Placher describes this very accurately as he goes into detail about what he writes about. Whether it was about genres or just trusting in what the Bible says, Placher uses plenty explanation for what he is trying to fork over. I really enjoyed the article and it gave me a better outlook on what the Bible’s purpose in our lives really is. Not only is the bible there to teach us the way of Christianity, but also to show us the way to not take the Bible in such a literal form. We are meant to take the bigger picture shown through a Biblical story and apply it to our lives in seek of truly understanding what we are needed to grasp from the readings. I now know that I can learn the language of the bible and understand it like I came from that culture. The many cultures in the Bible can be understood as a new language that I will eventually learn. Not only do I know that it has the melting pot of cultures and languages, but I will know how to understand what genre of story I am reading as to further my understanding of the story. All of the explanations he gives are fully thought out and I know that I can trust it, seeing the truth in his writings and in the writings in the Bible. Albeit hard to understand at times, I know I can now better decipher the narratives of the Bible and get more learned in its power to convey morals and stories. Jesus wanted it to be this way. Is the Bible true? Yes.
November 10, 2014
Review Essay
Is the Bible true? Whether you are a Christian or not, it is likely you have asked yourself or someone else if the Bible is really entirely valid. William C. Placher is the author of the article “Is the Bible True?” In the article, he explains how the Bible is true no matter how it is interpreted by anyone who proceeds to read the Holy Book. The stories may not all be non-fiction or factual, but they have good morals behind the message which is what Jesus intended to do. Things have turned into an argument as to whether scripture is true or not, when one may not even be aware of the real meaning of the word “true”. Some assert that only the literal interpretations of the Bible are true. On the other hand, there are others …show more content…
who lie in the middle, wanting to be somewhat literalists but then again they do not at the same time, causing a confusion of how to interpret it correctly.
When asked if the Bible is true we want to be able to confidently answer our thoughts on this matter with no sense of contradicting statements or feelings. If we are stuck in between and not sure about what to say on this particular question, a lot of confusing talk can arise from this…or even an embarrassing silence, which is not the intent of any Christian who values the Bible. This is what I feel Placher is discussing throughout this whole entire article.
When discussing the Bible, the truth of a statement or story usually depends on what the underlying meaning really signifies. This can get lost in deliberations on biblical truth and whether or not it is actually true or what kind of story it may be. History works differently from fiction, it is in no way the same type of story. The Bible has many fictitious tales in it along with historical
stories. The historical stories are just not accurate like our history in modern times. First century authors did not keep records like we do now, they usually came back with a rough paraphrase of what happened, even if it was said to be history. Different cultures and writers understand history and its recordings in different ways, making parts of the Bible hard to figure out sometimes. The Bible may not all be historically accurate with its time and place or even the real author, but only because it has so many different genres of story in it. The many different authors and how they may see history is also a huge factor in this. While Genesis is be called a Saga by some, “an intuitive and poetic picture of a pre-historical reality of history” (Church Dogmatics 3/1), where animals talk and people live for centuries, other books have their own type or genre too. A few good examples are the Gospel narratives of Jesus’ last days or the stories of the reign of King David in 2nd Samuel, these read more like an eyewitness account of our Christian history. By looking at clues in the text, you may be able to discern the genre to yourself. When reading a fairy tail you may see “Once upon a time…” at the beginning, this triggers the obvious fairy tail. While reading the Bible, look for cues as to what the genre may be so you can learn to figure out what it is and better interprate and understand the story.
A writer’s culture will almost certainly have an impact on the way they write and compose something. Biblical authors were all different, from different cultures and traditions; therefore, they would write their portion of the Bible in a very different way than we do now, and a different way than each other. Also, different social and living conditions can give different words and concepts different meaning.
Similar issues pop up when we bring up the MUCH debated topic of homosexuality. In biblical times there were many, many different interpretations of it that I do not wish to go into. All that needs to be said is that it is thought of so differently in todays world than it was in biblical times, it is not even comparable. That is why it is so hard to be sure what is right and what is wrong between those times and now a days. Many complicated questions arise that are just too hard to answer; even experts cannot give a full answer to them because of the sole fact that no one can be sure without being present during the creating of the Bible. This is just one example of where someone may not think it is something they can trust, but that is the beauty of it.
Trust is not what we are looking for…but truth…is. In Hebrew, the true person is the one you can trust, so the book can be as well. There can be many reasons someone would not trust the Bible. The more important thing is how the Bible gives us the language in which to think about the world itself. This brings back in the fact that many books in the Bible are from different cultures. These cultures have different languages and just like we must learn a language first before we can better understand it, we must learn this language of the Bible. You are not just learning a new way to read, but also a new way to think and absorb information. Our lives can be transformed by trusting the Bible. This doesn’t mean it’s going to be any easier to understand the Bible though.
A richer interpretation of the biblical world and its language can come from this immersion and trusting of the Bible. It is not just picking and choosing few of our favorite passages anymore and not knowing anything else. We can see its varieties, intricacies, and ambiguities. Just one of our problems these days is that fundamentalists and liberals do not do this. Fundamentalists just quote one passage and think they are done. While on opposite ends, we have liberals who just say nothing because they cannot remember any passage at all. If we believe that the Bible is really true, then we should want to, no not want, YEARN to put the work in to be able to fully know it is true and trust it.
Placher wants us to know that there will be uncertainties in the Bible. It is not that the stories are real stories but that the meanings are all true themselves. No matter what genre it is, a fairy tale, an apocalypse, or a factual narrative, he wants us to know we can trust it and it is and should be truth in our eyes. It will widen our horizons as a reader and believer so much more, knowing that it is true and we can understand the language used. Placher made many great points in the Article. Reading a text literally may not always be reading it in a faithful manner and he wants us to know that.
This article is definitely on point with what it is discussing. Placher describes this very accurately as he goes into detail about what he writes about. Whether it was about genres or just trusting in what the Bible says, Placher uses plenty explanation for what he is trying to fork over. I really enjoyed the article and it gave me a better outlook on what the Bible’s purpose in our lives really is. Not only is the bible there to teach us the way of Christianity, but also to show us the way to not take the Bible in such a literal form. We are meant to take the bigger picture shown through a Biblical story and apply it to our lives in seek of truly understanding what we are needed to grasp from the readings. I now know that I can learn the language of the bible and understand it like I came from that culture. The many cultures in the Bible can be understood as a new language that I will eventually learn. Not only do I know that it has the melting pot of cultures and languages, but I will know how to understand what genre of story I am reading as to further my understanding of the story. All of the explanations he gives are fully thought out and I know that I can trust it, seeing the truth in his writings and in the writings in the Bible. Albeit hard to understand at times, I know I can now better decipher the narratives of the Bible and get more learned in its power to convey morals and stories. Jesus wanted it to be this way. Is the Bible true? Yes.