#2 The Bible clearly says...............

There is very little that falls into the category of "the Bible clearly says."

Let's start at the very beginning.   'In the beginning when God created..."  Gen 1.1.  Hebrew scholars will tell you that "when God began creating....." is a better translation.

Students of the Bible might ask, Which beginning?  The beginning of this particular round of creating?  In the beginning of this solar system?  Or could 'in the beginning' mean "a long time ago, before any of us were around"?

Christian readers of the Old Testament might do well to read the Jewish commentaries since these are their scriptures as well and they have been thinking and praying and talking about them for much longer than we.  Did you know that when some Jewish scholars speak about creation they talk of God 'bounding the chaos' - that is, taking the chaos which God found and confining it to set boundaries?  The heavens above, the water under the earth, the earth separate from the dry land....you see?  They will then speak of natural disaster or even human disaster as 'the chaos breaking in.'  I think that perfectly describes some of my life experiences.

Besides, the Bible's words are weighed to a culture, a particular time and place. We are sentient, thinking beings who are intended to engage the God who is revealed through the Bible stories, not memorize words without thought. In our thinking, meaning is revealed.

Let us approach God's Word with humility, adventure, discovery and longing.  When you take that approach there is so much depth and lots of connections to the world as we know it.  It works more like a mirror than a textbook.

What a joy to discover God speaking to our lives through a story that is thousands of years old.
Now, come and see.  Come and discuss.  Come.....and invite a friend.