“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:10-16

“Not only is it the best-loved book, but it is also the most-hated book. No other book has had so many nor such bitter enemies. I suppose more books have been written against the Bible than against all other books combined. Men do not hate Shakespeare nor Milton nor Longfellow; they do not hate works on science nor philosophy; they do not hate books of travel or adventure or fiction; they do not hate the other sacred books of the world; they hate only the Bible. Why this hatred? It can be only because they find in the Bible something that they find nowhere else. What they find there is a true picture of themselves, and the picture is not pleasant to look upon, so they turn away their faces and will have nothing to do with it except to vilify and condemn it. They deliberately misrepresent it and write falsehoods about it; they satirize and ridicule it, using all sorts of weapons and all sorts of methods to combat it, and for only the one reason—that its truth pricks them in their consciences and they can by no other means escape from it.

It is judged by a standard far more stringent than any other book, not excepting the other sacred books. No critic would think of treating any other book as he treats the Bible, nor of requiring of any other book what he requires of the Bible. The more men hate God, the more they hate his Word; and this has a deep, underlying reason, and that reason, I believe, is that the Bible is God’s book and that in it there is so much of God himself.” (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 28-29)

 Many people who call themselves “Humanists” reject the claim that the Bible is the word of G-d. They are convinced the book was written solely by humans in a superstitious and “unenlightened” time. They believe that because the writers of the Bible lived in an unenlightened era, the book contains many errors and harmful teachings. And, there are parts of the bible many might find to be offensive, outdated, if not prejudiced and misogynistic. But, as a person who spends a lot of his life writing about and reading the scriptures, we also see the bible not as a static piece of writing that can only be interpreted in one manner, form, or design. In other words, we see the bible as the “living, active Word of G-d”. And by living and active, I mean as a book that speaks to us throughout time, not just within one span of time.

Yes, you can find enough reasons to hate the Bible, but you cannot say that the Bible is outdated, or unenlightened, or static. No matter what is happening in the world, I can turn to the scriptures and find many passages that will give wisdom, guidance, and hope to face the multifaceted happenings and concerns of this world, this community, and my life.

Pastor Dave