“The Bible Clearly Says…”
Whenever there is a controversial issue being discussed, very often someone will begin a statement with “The Bible clearly says” and then whatever they want to express. Is that a helpful way to debate important topics?
The problem with saying “the Bible clearly says” is what we really mean is “I am very confident of my interpretation of the Bible.” But by expressing in this way, we are also saying that alternative interpretations are invalid.
What are the kinds of things “the Bible clearly says”? People might include:
- The Earth is only 6000 years old.
- That God predestines certain people for eternal conscious torment.
- That LGBTQ people need to be excluded from the full life of the church.
- That women can never teach men the Bible.
- Christians can never serve in the military.
The trouble with this is that people on the other side of all these debates also have biblical support for their views. It is not so clear that we can identify who the biblical Christians are and who the unbiblical Christians are.
If the Bible “clearly” says so much, we would not have so many denominations. Each of those denominations claim to be faithfully following Scripture as they understand it.
Does the Bible “clearly” say anything?
If it didn’t I wouldn’t be a Christian. There are certain themes that are consistently taught throughout the Bible and they are things that we find running through all the different denominations. This is what C.S. Lewis called “Mere Christianity.”
Please do not get me wrong, I am not saying that you shouldn’t have convictions. Personal convictions are important. But what we have to remember is that our interpretation of the Bible is not always what “the Bible clearly says.” Using such language usually shuts down the conversation rather than opening space for mutual learning and discipleship.
unsurprisingly, Stephen, you are just like all other Christians, just as sure that your version is the only correct one as they are. One assumes you wouldn’t believe what you do unless you were sure. What you find supposedly “clear” another does not.