Can we Trust the Bible?
How do we know the Bible isn't just a nice fairy-tale?
If the Bible had been written by people who never knew Jesus or who lived long after him, and if there was no external evidence to back up the ambitious claims made in the Bible, then we would be quite justified in labelling it a tall tale or a fraudulent writing (both were common in the ancient world). However, quite to the contrary, it is precisely the abundance of historical and archaelogical evidence in the Bible's favour, not to mention the credibility of the Bible's authors as first-hand eye-witnesses of Jesus, which forces us to take the Bible seriously. Read more.
Has the Bible been modified over time?
No. Although we only posess copies of the original text, our copy of the Bible is so close to the original that the differences are trivial. As new manuscripts are found, the vast majority confirm the accuracy of the translation we already have, while occasionally the discovery of an early manuscript will lead to a slight correction that brings our Bible even closer to the original text.
As words change their meanings over the years, new translations are made. Archaic words like thee, shouldst, etc are updated. Some words now mean the opposite of what they did earlier, e.g. charity used to mean sacrificial love. It is helpful to use an accurate easy-to-read version, e.g. the New King James (NKJ) version. The NKJ is a good reliable translation, and it has the poetic flow that is in the original languages. Subheadings in many modern translations are helpful, and help ensure that you are reading verses in context. There are also 'paraphrases' which deal with concepts, not words, and in trying to explain things, they sometimes make it more confusing.
Haven't the Dead Sea Scrolls proven the Bible wrong?
No, the Dead Sea Scrolls don't mention Jesus, although they do contain some of our best Old Testament manuscripts. The discovery of ancient copies of Old Testament books among the Dead Sea Scolls that were almost identical to our existing manuscripts, despite being hundreds of years older, actually demonstrated the precision used by the Masoretes when copying manuscripts. Read more about the reliability of the Bible.
Archbishop Spong is in the news - what about his ideas?
There are some people, even Christian ministers in mainline denominations, who question the validity of the Bible. They claim that the Bible is not a direct, accurate, and authoratative revelation from God, and doesn’t always mean what it says. The meaning must be derived through bizarre interpretations which cut the heart out of Christianity from the Bible, replacing it with the things men want to hear. Truth is no longer absolute and real (I can no longer say that I am 'right' and you are 'wrong', despite the fact that at least one of us must be wrong), but something subjective. Sadly, when God is taken out of the equation as Life-Giver and Truth-Giver, nothing is left but an empty philosophy which provides no basis for morals, certainty, or purpose in life.
This is Liberalism - assume the answer first, then explain it by changing the Bible texts to suit. There is also an increasing trend among today's religions to accept all beliefs as valid paths to salvation; they ignore the Biblical claim that Jesus is the only way, and bring compromises into the church. Read more about whats wrong with Archbishop Spong and how theologians can play with words.
Isn't the Bible full of contradictions?
Sometimes Bible passages appear to be contradictory, but we are resolute in affirming that seemingly contradictory passages turn out to contain no contradiction when studied in their contexts. The Bible is a compilations of the writings of 40 authors, and as such it contains a wide variety of vocabulary, opinions, empases, and perspectives. Sometimes two authors use the same word to mean different things, or they emphasise two complementary truths, causing apparent contradiction. Sometimes writers take different facts from the same event — much like eye-wittnesses who might notice different (but not contradictory) elements of the same crime-scene. Despite so many authors, the Bible is remarkably consistent and coherent.
Lastly, some minor errors will inevitably have been introduced through the process of copying manuscripts. However, it is the original text of the Bible which we consider inspired and authorative. In the end, however, no-one can prove that the Bible is infallible — we believe it's infallible because we believe that a God exists who has chosen to reveal himself to mankind through the Bible. Read more about resolutions to Bible contradictions .