2. “The Bible is…” “The Bible is…” Only fascinating stories Only fascinating stories A good book A good book Outdated! Outdated! A myth A myth Guidelines Guidelines Only history Only history Misinterpreted Misinterpreted Open to many interpretations Open to many interpretations Suggestions Suggestions A lie!! A lie!! Not to be taken literally Not to be taken literally Contradictory Contradictory Changed Changed One of many One of many Not inspired Not inspired Fables Fables Adaptable Adaptable Confusing Confusing Not the word of God Not the word of God Hard to understand Hard to understand Not relevant Not relevant The greatest hoax ever told The greatest hoax ever told Created by man Created by man Mind-numbing Mind-numbing Opium for the people Opium for the people Brain-washing Brain-washing Good for moral living Good for moral living The world says,

3. Impact from years of skepticism “More Americans are moving toward an interpretation of the Bible as a book of fables, history, and moral precepts… “…Attempts at demythologizing the Bible that have been ongoing in the academy for years seem to be moving more and more from the classroom to the pews… “…As recently as 1963, two persons in three viewed the Bible as the actual word of God, to be taken literally, word for word. Today, only one person in three still holds to that interpretation.” George Gallup Jr. & D. Michael Lindsay, Surveying the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs (1999), p. 36.

4. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Liberal View of Scripture The Liberal View of Scripture – The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God – Harold DeWolfe, typical liberal view of Scripture: “Strictly speaking, the Bible itself is not the pure Word of God” (The Case for Theology in Liberal Perspectives, p. 17). “Strictly speaking, the Bible itself is not the pure Word of God” (The Case for Theology in Liberal Perspectives, p. 17). For “it is evident that the Bible is a collection of intensely human documents.” In fact, “most of the events described are activities of obviously fallible human beings. Many passages contradict one another or well-established knowledge. Many of the moral and religious ideas, especially in the more ancient documents, are distinctly sub-Christian” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 73). For “it is evident that the Bible is a collection of intensely human documents.” In fact, “most of the events described are activities of obviously fallible human beings. Many passages contradict one another or well-established knowledge. Many of the moral and religious ideas, especially in the more ancient documents, are distinctly sub-Christian” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 73).

5. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Liberal View of Scripture The Liberal View of Scripture – The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God – Harold DeWolfe, typical liberal view of Scripture: “The writing of the Bible as a whole was accomplished by an extraordinary stimulation and elevation of the powers of men who devoutly yielded themselves to God’s will and sought, often with success unparalleled elsewhere, to convey truth useful to the salvation of men and nations” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 76). “The writing of the Bible as a whole was accomplished by an extraordinary stimulation and elevation of the powers of men who devoutly yielded themselves to God’s will and sought, often with success unparalleled elsewhere, to convey truth useful to the salvation of men and nations” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 76). However, “the human fallibility of the Bible does not preclude the possibility of its divine inspiration nor of its unmatched moral and religious authority” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 75). However, “the human fallibility of the Bible does not preclude the possibility of its divine inspiration nor of its unmatched moral and religious authority” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 75).

6. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Liberal View of Scripture The Liberal View of Scripture – The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God – Harold DeWolfe, typical liberal view of Scripture: But despite some inspired truths contained within Scripture, much is in error. For “while we are treating the fallibility of the Scriptures we must note that Jesus unhesitatingly and repeatedly sets the Old Testament teaching at naught” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 73). But despite some inspired truths contained within Scripture, much is in error. For “while we are treating the fallibility of the Scriptures we must note that Jesus unhesitatingly and repeatedly sets the Old Testament teaching at naught” (A Theology of the Living Church, p. 73).

7. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Liberal View of Scripture The Liberal View of Scripture – The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God – Harold DeWolfe, typical liberal view of Scripture: Thus “to the intelligent student who is more concerned with seeking out and declaring the truth than with maintaining a dogma it must be apparent that the Bible is by no means infallible…In regard to many facts of minor importance there are obvious contradictions within the Bible” (The Case for Theology, pp. 68-89). Thus “to the intelligent student who is more concerned with seeking out and declaring the truth than with maintaining a dogma it must be apparent that the Bible is by no means infallible…In regard to many facts of minor importance there are obvious contradictions within the Bible” (The Case for Theology, pp. 68-89).

8. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Liberal View of Scripture The Liberal View of Scripture – The Bible CONTAINS the Word of God In brief, the Bible merely contains the Word of God, along with many errors. One must use human reason and the “spirit of Christ” to determine which parts are true and which are false. In brief, the Bible merely contains the Word of God, along with many errors. One must use human reason and the “spirit of Christ” to determine which parts are true and which are false. Besides rejecting the Bible as the supreme authority for faith, they believe it has no intrinsic authority at all. The Bible has only a functional but not an essential authority. It is an authority insofar as it brings Christ to us. The Bible is “perfect” only “with respect to the end of man’s salvation, and so to witnessing to all that is necessary to the attainment to that end” (Shubert Ogden, “The Authority of Scripture for Theology, Interpretation 30, no. 3 [July 1976]: 257). Besides rejecting the Bible as the supreme authority for faith, they believe it has no intrinsic authority at all. The Bible has only a functional but not an essential authority. It is an authority insofar as it brings Christ to us. The Bible is “perfect” only “with respect to the end of man’s salvation, and so to witnessing to all that is necessary to the attainment to that end” (Shubert Ogden, “The Authority of Scripture for Theology, Interpretation 30, no. 3 [July 1976]: 257).

9. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture – The Bible BECOMES the Word of God – Karl Barth (1886-1968) The Bible “only ‘holds,’ encloses, limits and surrounds [the Word of God]: that is the indirectness of the identity of revelation and the Bible.” Thus the human words “are the instruments by which [the Bible] aims at becoming a Word which is apprehended by men and therefore a Word which justifies and sanctifies men” (Church Dogmatics, 1:153; 1:492; 1:583; 1:527). The Bible “only ‘holds,’ encloses, limits and surrounds [the Word of God]: that is the indirectness of the identity of revelation and the Bible.” Thus the human words “are the instruments by which [the Bible] aims at becoming a Word which is apprehended by men and therefore a Word which justifies and sanctifies men” (Church Dogmatics, 1:153; 1:492; 1:583; 1:527). Thus “‘what stands there,’ in the pages of the Bible, is the witness to the Word of God, the Word of God in this testimony of the Bible. Just how far it stands there, however, is a fact that demands unceasing discovery, interpretation, and recognition” (Evangelical Theology: An Introduction, p. 36). Thus “‘what stands there,’ in the pages of the Bible, is the witness to the Word of God, the Word of God in this testimony of the Bible. Just how far it stands there, however, is a fact that demands unceasing discovery, interpretation, and recognition” (Evangelical Theology: An Introduction, p. 36).

10. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture – The Bible BECOMES the Word of God – Karl Barth (1886-1968) The Bible is not a revelation but an instrument of divine disclosure. The human words of Scripture “are the instruments by which [the Bible] aims at becoming a Word which is apprehended by men and therefore a Word which justifies and sanctifies men, by which it aims at executing upon men the grace of God which is its content” (Church Dogmatics, 1:527). The Bible is not a revelation but an instrument of divine disclosure. The human words of Scripture “are the instruments by which [the Bible] aims at becoming a Word which is apprehended by men and therefore a Word which justifies and sanctifies men, by which it aims at executing upon men the grace of God which is its content” (Church Dogmatics, 1:527). Indeed, the Bible is not the Word of God; it becomes the Word of God to the believer as Christ is revealed through it. For “by the Holy Spirit it became and will become to the Church a witness to divine revelation” (1:223). Indeed, the Bible is not the Word of God; it becomes the Word of God to the believer as Christ is revealed through it. For “by the Holy Spirit it became and will become to the Church a witness to divine revelation” (1:223).

11. Contemporary Theories of the Bible’s Origin The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture The Neo-Orthodox View of Scripture – The Bible BECOMES the Word of God – Karl Barth (1886-1968) Christ is God’s revelation; the Bible is only a fallible human record of that revelation. In the Bible “there are obvious overlappings and contradictions…The prophets and apostles as such…were real, historical men as we are, and therefore sinful in their action, and capable and actually guilty of error in their spoken and written word.” And the “vulnerability of the Bible, i.e., its capacity for error, also extends to its religious or theological content” (1.2: 509; 1.2: 529; 1:509). Christ is God’s revelation; the Bible is only a fallible human record of that revelation. In the Bible “there are obvious overlappings and contradictions…The prophets and apostles as such…were real, historical men as we are, and therefore sinful in their action, and capable and actually guilty of error in their spoken and written word.” And the “vulnerability of the Bible, i.e., its capacity for error, also extends to its religious or theological content” (1.2: 509; 1.2: 529; 1:509). In short, the Bible is an errant human instrument used by God as a witness of His divine Word who is Christ. In short, the Bible is an errant human instrument used by God as a witness of His divine Word who is Christ.

12. What does the Bible say? “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).