M. Craig Barnes is the Robert Meneilly Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, PA. His “Faith Matters” article in the December 13, 2011 edition of the Christian Century explores how his view of the Bible developed over time. It includes these words:
The more I understand about the Bible’s dust-and-grit humanity, the more holy it becomes to me. Long after I’d left behind my father’s theory of the inerrancy of scripture, I found a Bible that had even more authority because it revealed how God inspired humans who stayed human when they wrote.
So What?
The varying views of Biblical authority and interpretation divide Christians as much as, if not more than, anything does.
- How would you explain your view of the Bible as an adolescent? today? if it has changed, what are some of the reasons for the shift?
- Have you found Barnes’ experience (The more I understand about the Bible’s dust-and-grit humanity, the more holy it becomes to me) to be true on your journey of faith?