Bernice Makes a Point

Bernice said (comment June 30, 2005):

I figure the Bible is like Canadian Whiskey. Some like it. Some never touch it. You can't really predict the reaction. Some can take great quantities and be fine. Some take a sip and lose their minds. Some get sleepy. Some get agitated. Some get really talkative and you want to punch them in the mouth. Some want to push you to drink with them. Some don't care at all about you drinking. Some people live for it. Some people just do it for social reasons and make a big show about it. Some people just do it themselves in private.

Being Canadian, I appreciated the analogy, and the fine turn of phrase.

It took me awhile to think this through. Not that I haven't heard this kind of comment before but, being a Bible fan, I wanted to say, "You're wrong. The Bible is something everyone should read." That, of course, would be narrow-minded, what with all the other holy books out there, not to mention mantras and self-help volumes by Dr. Phil.

The hardest task for a Bible fan is to explain why anyone should choose it first. I mean, I could talk about the fact that it has survived centuries of attack to remain a bestseller even in 2005. I could tell you about all the amazing things in it. I could share a few really great stories from it.

But none of this sets it apart from the rest except for one thing - I believe it's a voice from God, and to me it doesn't seem like a good idea just to ignore a voice from God.

Let me make you a suggestion, Bernice. You've expressed yourself eloquently, but you do admit that some people actually read it, even if you haven't. Before you decide you don't like Canadian Whiskey, why don't you take a sip? In my next post I'll suggest a way to read the Bible in less than an hour.

What are you looking for?

I'm curious. What do you want? No, I don't mean the latest cut from Usher or a Baskin & Robbins double scoop waffle cone. I mean big picture, ultimate question: What do you want? Choose from this list if you like:

Happiness
Contentment
Adventure
Peace
Hope
Health
Forgiveness
Freedom from fear
Significance
Real community
Your relationship fixed
Someone to love you

I could make the list longer, but I wonder why it's so long in the first place. Why does what we have seem so far from what we want? There's an ultimate question for you.

What do you want, really? I'm curious.

10 Reasons to Ignore the Bible

People have a lot of trouble with the Bible. They love Jesus (who is in the Bible) but they struggle with the whole idea that the Bible could be a holy book from God.

Here are 10 reasons to ignore the Bible:

10. It's really old.
9. People say it's hard to understand.
8. It comes from a culture I don't understand.
7. It's promoted by church people, and I don't particularly like church people.
6. Look at all the evil that followers of the Bible have brought upon the world.
5. No one knows if it really came from God.
4. It's full of tall tales that couldn't possibly be true.
3. It's full of miracles, and well, you know...
2. Reading it would be quite a commitment.
1. It would make me feel guilty.

But the simple fact is that most of us really don't know why we ignore it. The Bible just seems to be out of touch, something for the comfort of a bygone age. It's not relevant, and there are much better spiritualities out there.

I happen to think the Bible has a lot more to say than we give it credit for. Maybe we're just approaching it wrong. Maybe there's some kind of treasure in this old book.

What do you think?

Why would I do this?

Greetings. I am the author of the soon to be published book - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Meaning of Everything. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, November 2005. For a website about the book, go to http://www.meaningofeverything.com.

I grew concerned that so many people were looking for ultimate whatever (not ultimate truth, because so few of us believe in truth anymore) but getting lost in the myriad of spiritualities out there, most of them created in the hope that they might lead somewhere or make us feel better.

But we are still disconnected - from one another and from whatever we call God. It occurred to me that the answer might already be in our midst, except that we've dismissed it and moved on. Thus the book. Over the next while, I'll try to post some observations about it, if only to get discussion going.