Howard Van Till wrote:
<< 3. The question then becomes, How does one tell the difference between a
text that (1) is a set of _divine revelations_ whose written form has, by
the Spirit's direction, been crafted in the conceptual vocabulary, literary
styles and limited knowledge base of the "rude and unlearned," or (2)
actually is a thoroughly _human account_ of an authentic human experience of
the divine presence, written in the conceptual vocabulary, literary styles
and limited knowledge base of the writers?
>>
I think you ask one of the toughest questions of all. For all
we know, the Bible was written by the losers of some political
party who where trying to justify themselves.
However, that being said, I suspect it comes down to whether you
believe the integrity of the people who wrote the Bible. When you
read Jeramiah, is it a message that speak to your heart? Do you see him
as a self deluded mad man raving at the world, or do you think he has
a message that you should be listening to? When you
read the Gospel, or the Epistles of Paul, do you think these people
were frauds, or self serving opportunists? In short, do you think
these are people who have come into contact with the living God, or
are they just another band of bamboozling schlockmeisters?
You can only answer these questions for yourself.
I think there are things that people say and do that show that
they are genuine, but in principle, _anything_ can also be faked.
That's why most of us probably learn who are friends are when we
fall into hard times.
by Grace we do proceed,
Wayne
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