I am hearing more and more about Christians who think that the Bible has mistakes, lots of them. Sometimes it's because the ancients who wrote it had some primitive ideas about life, or they were responding in culturally defined ways that don't fit our culture. As a result, we are told, modern Christians have to be discerning about what parts of the Bible are from God and what parts aren't. That means that there are parts of the Bible that we need to ignore. And to make up for what is lacking, there are ways of dealing with life that we have to invent.
Though there are many differences, those who do not believe in a sure Bible remind me of some of the existentialist philosophers I studied in college. Nothing is given. Everything needs to be determined by the individual. You need to create meaning for yourself. It’s hit and miss - and try again. Doing this sort of thing - by doubting, questioning, struggling – is what makes you authentic. You may not have any answers, but at least you’re trying. That's what the existentialists were saying, and it's what so many Christians are now saying.
I can understand that some might come to the conclusion that they have to decide what to accept from the Bible and what to reject. I don't agree, but I understand that some make that decision. But I think that these folk need to acknowledge what that means. This isn’t the Christianity of Jesus. How could it be? He believed in a sure Bible, one without mistakes. Instead of following the religion of Jesus, they are creating something different - their own religion. And that becomes clear when you listen to them. They say that God would or wouldn't do certain things because – well, because it just seems right to them to think that. The fact that what they are saying sometimes overlaps with something that Jesus said is just a coincidence. (After all, lots of religious teachers talked about love and such.) Ultimately, they decide what is truth and what isn’t. Oh, they might say that God leads them into more truth. But that still doesn't make it Christianity. And in time it will become quite clear that it really isn't Christianity. What these folk believe will look less and less like the religion Jesus founded, even if it takes a generation or two. It’s happened before – not all that long ago – and it will happen again.
Having a totally trustworthy Bible does not make life easy. There are still problems to work through and hard questions that need wise and careful answers. However, it’s different working on problems and questions if you have a sure Bible. There are some things that are, in fact, given. And those 'givens' offer a framework that will provide some direction as you deal with those problems and work to find those answers. And even if we’re wrong on this, at least we’re agreeing with Jesus.