No matter what we might say about the separation of church and state, here in the US the Bible continues to exert influence over nearly every sector. Yet even within churches, denominations, and seminaries, there are many different takes on just what the Bible is—or what it’s for.
We asked dozens of scholars, faith leaders, and writers to tell us what they think the Bible is for, in seven words or less (with a paragraph of further explanation). All month long we’ll be publishing their responses. Participants range from luminaries like Barbara Brown Taylor to humble magazine editors like yours truly. You can read all the published responses here, or bookmark it to follow along this month. While these short reflections tend to explore intended or good uses of scripture, we also have a new essay from Liz Charlotte Grant about the alarming movement seeking to reshape the US in the Bible’s image, plus a column from Debie Thomas about why progressive Christians should keep (or start) reading it.
Our video of the week features Swedish student Saga Herdeskold, who chats with me about Voltaire’s surprising entry on religion in his Philosophical Dictionary. Plus more great new content below!
“Much of the right-wing Christian culture and theology that we recognize today—the tradwives and theo bros, the New Apostolic Reformation, the Heritage Foundation—finds its roots in Christian Reconstructionism and the thinking of Rousas John Rushdoony and his mentor Cornelius Van Til.”
“Whether we like it or not, the Bible is in the cultural marketplace, and the conversations it generates there have life-and-death consequences. It is incumbent upon us to participate intelligently in those conversations.”
“I do not believe that anybody who paid a serious price desired to do so. But they could not say no to what the Spirit gave them to do in their age. We could not say no, either.”
