We do not confront issues in a vacuum. Each of us brings to our views, a history, a series of experiences and training that influence how we approach virtually every area of our lives. Perhaps in no areas do our biases show themselves more clearly than in religion and politics. Normally we respond to our background in one of two ways. Sometimes we embrace it and assume that anything that deviates from the perspective in which we were raised must be in error. If our experiences have been negative, we may react against our background and reject anything that supports that view as narrow-minded and faulty. This tendency is a part of the human condition. I am convinced that it is true for you, because I see it so much in me. I have arrived at a point in my life where I am attempting to see the values and well as the weaknesses in various interpretations. I try especially to be conscious of what is fact and what is interpretation. Nowhere does this affect me more than in my religious life. You have a right to know who I am and basically what I believe, because you will see that reflected in what I post. Therefore, I ask you to take a few minutes to read this, so that you will be able to understand what I bring to this subject.
I was raised as a Christian, and I am a member of the Church of Christ, which is known as a very conservative Christian group. This is a part of my roots, and I feel comfortable there. At the same time, I do not accept the teaching I received uncritically. Over the years I have attempted to balance what I have been taught with what my study and experience tell me. I make no pretense that I am unbiased, but I do hope that I have to some degree become a seeker of truth, wherever truth may be found and whatever form it may take. By any measure you wish to use, I am a “senior citizen,” which is another way of saying that I have been around long enough to have made my share of mistakes and hopefully learn something from them.
Studying the history of the Bible has been a passion with me for more than forty years. During that time my view of the Bible has changed. How could it not? Learning, by definition, means change, and I do hope I have learned some things over the years. I hope that includes not just facts about the Bible, but also a recognition of what I do not know, as well as a degree of humility to keep me from being dogmatic on issues that, by definition, cannot be proven. To those coming from a conservative heritage, my interpretations may at times appear very liberal. To those with a more liberal background, I suspect I will appear somewhat conservative. Perhaps nowhere will this dichotomy be more apparent than when we deal with the subject of authorship of particular books of the Bible. For instance, while recognizing that the gospels are anonymous, because nowhere do they claim a specific author, I do tend to accept the traditional authorship, although I have some question about Matthew. On the other hand, I am not tied to defending Moses’ authorship of the Pentateuch. I hope I go where the evidence leads. I plan to publish a post dealing with authorship that will clarify my approach.
In short, if you are coming to this blog to support a particular viewpoint, you are likely to be disappointed. But if you want to read my views on the Bible as a means of challenging your own thinking, you are welcome. Feel free to disagree with my views, challenge my evidence, give your own interpretation. My goal is simply to go to the Bible and accept the evidence I find there. As I said earlier, I am too aware of my own biases to believe I am completely objective, but I enjoy the subject and want to keep on learning. I welcome you to join me in that search.
I’ve been looking for some good critical blogs on religion and biblical studies to follow and I appreciate what you’re doing here. I share your passion for learning and critical inquiry…thanks for what you do and for finding value in writing.
Thank you for your kind words. As you will see from my blog, I have not had formal theological training. I am, at best, an educated layman. I trust my readers to keep me honest and point out any areas in which they feel I may be off the mark.
Gary, you’ve done well for yourself without formal training…it says a lot about what you value and your passion for the faith. I’ll follow your blog and check in frequently. Thanks for your work and thoughts