I have a few thoughts on this. Firstly, for those of us who have been in the church for most of our lives and who have also gone to Christian schools for a portion of that time, simply going to Genesis and starting there is going to be difficult. Remember, we have studied scripture repeatedly for what seems like forever. We have been exposed to the greater narrative that scripture offers. The stor...  Read More

I don’t know how you have interacted with the Bible throughout your life, but if you are like me, it is a on-again-off-again relationship. While I love scripture, there are times in my life where I am closer to it, and other times where I am further away. Some people read through the scriptures every single year, and some have never read it all the way through. Whatever your relationship with Scri...  Read More

Growing up, I used to be terrible at Bible quiz time at school. I just couldn't remember chapter and verse as they wanted us to. I wasn’t great at memorization and that seemed to be a prerequisite for being a good Chrstian. I was so bad that no one wanted me on their team when it came to bible bowls that we often seemed to have in elementary school. We used to have classes in chain referencing scr...  Read More

Does the bible give us a particular type of certainty? And is that what it is supposed to be used for?The great Protestant tradition, beginning with Martin Luther, has always been a great search for the certainty of correct understanding of scripture to answer the questions that we have about God, ourselves, our lives, and our trajectory. But is the Bible set up that way? Is the Bible the “Basic I...  Read More

Deconstruction - how you take your faith apart matters (deconstruction, tools of deconstruction, inspiration, interpretation, what can we really know, epistemology)INTROThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add or subtract or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENHave you ever taken apart something that you couldn...  Read More

So is this really a question of truth, or is it a question of what you can know and what you can’t know? Or is it a question of what is possible to know, or is it something else? The philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge and belief is called Epistemology, and it is a philosophical discussion that is important. Over the years the idea of studying this area has been rife with arguments, ...  Read More