Welcome to Chri
stian Middle. I’m Katie Hoyt McNabb and I’ve just written a guide to the Bible – Does It Really Say That in the Bible? In a society that has become increasingly polarized, I want to take time to stake out some middle ground – highlighting the ideas Christians hold in common.
I’ve started with the Bible. These days many claims about what the Bible says just don’t add up as I read it. On the extreme right, we havethose who insist that we read the Bible literally – meaning some absurd notions like we can’t believe in dinosaurs because they aren’t mentioned in the creation story of Genesis. Then, on the extreme left, we have those who conjecture that we don’t have to believe that Jesus was literally resurrected after His crucifixion because the concept of life after death should be understood as a metaphor. In my view, these extremes misrepresent both what the Bible says and what Christianity espouses, warping the picture of the faith in the public eye. Yet the radical interpretations tend to grab the headlines.
I suspect that this absence of a strong public retort to these extreme claims stems from a general lack of education about the Bible. As we have become a more un-churched society, many people who nonetheless consider themselves Christians know very little about what the Bible says. In addition, still more people find the Bible intimidating – difficult to read and understand. And they have a point: it is much easier to grasp what the Bible is saying if you have some guidance. But is it worth all the effort? This is where I answer – absolutely! In this blog I will be trying to demonstrate the value of spending time looking at what the Bible really says and learning how to read it closely. Even though the Bible was written thousands of years ago it still has a lot to say about what humans are really like, what causes them to flourish as well as flounder, and why the world is such an agonizing mix of good and bad. Then, best of all, it promises us God’s viewpoint on both human history and the human condition – even in our modern era. Let’s see what the Bible has to offer!