The Rose-Colored Glass is Half Full

This post will provide a list of books that helped me remove the blinders of Christian fundamentalism and accept a more realistic view of the Bible.

The Bible

Preachers have often said that the Bible is its own best commentary, and I agree. I began to question my faith when I found unanswerable contradictions in the pages of the Bible itself. You can find the contradictions in many places, including:

• Matthew 1
• II Kings 8:25-26 vs. II Chronicles 22:1-2
• Matthew 10:10 vs. Mark 6:9
• I Chronicles 21:11-12 vs. II Samuel 24:13
• I Samuel 8:4 vs. I Chronicles 18:4
• Ezra 2:65 vs. Nehemiah 7:67
• Mark 14:12-Mark 15:25 vs. John 19:14-16
• Matthew 27:6-9 vs. Zechariah 11:12

Available at http://www.blueletterbible.org

How to Read the Bible

Author: James Kugel

This book explains the two primary methods of  Biblical interpretation, and reveals how (and why) modern conservative Christians choose the wrong one. A great guide to understanding the minds and methods of the people who created and preserved the Bible.

Available at Amazon.com and Google Books

What Did the Bible Writers Know, and When Did They Know It

Author: William G. Dever

This book is heavy reading, but the result is worth the effort. Dever is a world-renowned archaeologist, and has been conducting digs in Palestine for many decades. His insights into the physical world of ancient Israel help to put the Biblical story in context.

Available at Amazon.com

Misquoting Jesus

Author: Bart D. Ehrman

The book’s subtitle says everything you need to know: “The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why.” This is a must-read book for those who want to know if the Bible is the preserved word of God.

Available at Amazon.com and Google Books

Biblical Archaeology Review

Publisher: Biblical Archaeology Society

BAR is a bi-monthly magazine written by archaeologist and scholars which attempts to “bring the ancient world to life.” The publication provides current information on the findings of modern archaeology and examines those findings against a background of scripture.

Available at http://www.bib-arch.org

A More Sure Word

Author: R. B. Ouellette

When I first began to discuss the Biblical contradictions with Bible believers, Pastor Jim Talbert of Derby, Kansas recommended this book to me. He said that I would find the answers to many Biblical contradictions within its pages. I purchased and read the book, and found that it contained not a single reference or answer to any Biblical contradiction. It did, however, help to reveal the mindset of the fundamentalist defenders of the faith.

The book is primarily a defense of the KJV-only position. The author writes: “The position of this book is simple: The King James Bible is the right translation for English-speaking Christians to use because it is a literal translation of the correct and pure Greek and Hebrew texts.”

Then, on the same page, he makes this stunning statement: “I must plead guilty to circular reasoning. My position on the Bible did not start with manuscript evidence, study of books written on the translation issue, or other scholarly offerings. It started with the Word of God.” (By which he means the King James version of the Bible.) He goes on to say: “I want a Bible that is available and trustworthy. I do not have the access nor the time to compare thousands of manuscripts to determine God’s Word. For that matter, neither does the rest of Christendom!”

These statements are eye-opening to me. R.B. Ouellette wrote an entire book dedicated to proving that the King James translation is better than the other English translations, but did not take the time to actually study any of the manuscripts on which the controversy is based. He clearly does not need facts to support his position. By using circular reasoning, his thinking can lead him to only one place: his original starting point. Finding the truth is not his primary goal; his focus is on defending his own position. I have found that this type of reasoning is commonly used by those who defend the accuracy of the Bible.

Available at: Amazon.com and Striving Together Publications

There are many, many more books that have been helpful to me. This list will provide a good starting point, and I will be happy to make specific recommendations if you need something different.

– George Cummins

Joram had two sons, and both were named Ahaziah.

The two Ahaziahs had some pretty remarkable parallels in their lives. They were both crowned king when their father Joram died. Both were terrible kings, following in the footsteps of their most villainous predecessor.

Both Ahaziahs were close friends and allies of a neighboring king who we will call Joram II. Both went into battle with Joram II against a foreign king named Hazael. In each case, Joram II was fatally wounded in the battle, and went home to die. Both Ahaziahs went separately to see Joram I, and unexpectedly, both Ahaziahs were murdered during the visit. Even more shocking: They were both murdered by a man named Jehu.

In all the parallels between the two Ahaziahs, there is only one recorded difference between the two: One Ahaziah assumed the throne when he was 22 years old, and the other when he was 42 years old.

Same father. Same mother. Same name. Same throne. Same friend. Same battle. Same death. Yet two different people.

Make sense so far?

You see, the elements of this story are found in the Bible. In fact, the same story is told twice, in two different places. One account, in II Kings 8, describes the Ahaziah that began to reign when he was 22 years old. The other account, in II Chronicles 22, describes exactly the same story, with the exception that Ahaziah began to reign when he was 42 years old.

You may read the accounts and think that the Bible was describing the same Ahaziah, and that a simple mistake was made in his age (22 versus 42). In fact, the Bible itself gives no indication that there were two separate Ahaziahs. However, for a fundamentalist Christian, Biblical mistakes are an impossibility. Therefore, they are required to invent a story like the one above to explain away this obvious error. This story was given to me, in fact, by one such Christian. It makes far more sense for him that “Joram had two sons named Ahaziah” than to assume that his sacred book may have a minor typographical error.

As long as he applies this sort of nonsensical approach to the Bible, a believer will always feel secure in his belief. If, however, he decides to subject his belief to the type of reasonable analysis that is required in the rest of his life, perhaps he will begin to understand the error of his belief.

– George Cummins

I enjoy reading between the lines.

I like listening to people’s words and hearing not only what they say, but what they mean. Sometimes the words are not enough to tell the whole story and interpretation is required.

One of my favorite pastimes is listening to preachers because they are masters of interpretation. Their job is not simply to present the words of the Bible to eager Christian ears, but to interpret those words so that they are understandable to the listeners. On occasion, however, a preacher subtly changes a meaning while interpreting, causing his listeners to hear a message different than the one presented in the text.

Today my sister posted a message from her pastor, Dan Hudson of Pathway Church. The sermon’s purpose was to identify the cost of following Jesus. Pastor Dan used as his text Luke 14 and focused on the summary in verse 33:

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

Here is Pastor Dan’s interpretation:

“Jesus wants everything. [...] It doesn’t mean you need to live in poverty. Don’t misunderstand that. But how much are you willing to give up?”

So for Pastor Dan, Jesus’ words can be interpreted to mean something considerably different than what Jesus said. Jesus said give everything up, or you can’t be a disciple. Pastor Dan says you just need to be “willing.”

That interpretation is undoubtedly gentler on the modern Christian and makes it easier to gain converts. But is the interpretation valid? Pastor Dan, is that what Jesus really said? Or is it what you wanted him to say?