A recent article in The Dallas Morning News offered an interesting take on the Bible. Gordon Keith, an Emmy-winning broadcaster for KECK-AM (1310) The Ticket, in Dallas, suggested that the Bible is an ongoing project. In his article he says “It’s OK to step back and see the Bible with your own eyes.”
I’m sure his comments will spur a rash of letters from fundamentalist believers who take the words in the Bible literally and say we should never deviate from them. They also believe that the Bible is the final word of God. Keith contends that it is not. “If God is still whispering into the hearts of men and women, why is it a stretch to think that humans can no longer transcribe that dictation?”
When I read that, it reminded me of a spiritual exercise I took part in on a retreat one year. This was part of my chaplaincy training, and the retreat leader had the attendees write their own gospel. When she first said that, I was shocked. Me? Write a gospel? When she explained that the gospel was just recounting how we experienced God at that moment, it made sense.
She encouraged us to get into a contemplative state of mind and then just write as the thoughts and words came to us.
Later, we shared our gospels and talked about the gospels in the Bible – how they might have been written through a similar process of being open to the spirit.
In his article, Keith was not suggesting that we should abandon the Bible. He just thinks we should not focus so much on ancient stories that we “blunt our ability to listen to the word of God currently being written. In books, plays and prayers.”
Think about it. If the word of God was just in those ancient writings, why do we need preachers and theologians?
On another note, Read an E-Book Week started yesterday, with lots of authors offering free or deeply discounted books for all electronic reading devices. Read an E-Book Week was started in 2004 to spread the word about the pleasures and advantages of reading electronically. If you visit the website, there are links to the authors participating, as well as other interesting information about e-books.
To join in the celebration, I have two specials running this week. Readers can enjoy my short story The Visitor as a free read directly from my website. Those with a Kindle can also get that version free for the next three days. Later this week, I will have my newest book, Boxes For Beds free for three days. That special starts Thursday.
Very interest thoughts on the Bible. It seems to me that a Living God would continue to speak to us and what He says should be important.