The Bible Disclaimer

Ian McKellen recently stated on NBC's Today Show that the Bible ought to have "a disclaimer in the front saying this is fiction." This famous British actor stars in the movie based upon Dan Brown's best seller, "The DaVinci Code", a fictional work that casts doubt upon the account of the life of Christ as presented in Scripture. I can understand why some view the Bible in skeptical ways. After all, the magnificent accounts of the workings of God in miraculous ways do sometimes leave us scratching our heads. Burning bushes, giant fish swallowing and spewing men, walking on water, resurrections, and weather-controlling prayers all exist apart from our experience. In today's culture, experience and feelings determine truth. Long treated as a constitution or law manual, the Bible is no longer regarded by many as a standard of authority. Fanciful fictional tales carry as much weight as the accounts of God's work in Scripture. Fables and stories are replacing long lists of what we can do and cannot do and still have God smiling upon us. It would be easy to simply dismiss this and stick to our guns, professing that this generation just doesn't get it - and too bad. Or we can try to engage them on their playing field, which can be threatening to all of us. It is hard to talk in the postmodern vernacular. It is hard to attempt to understand the view that there is no absolute truth, and there is nothing in the Bible that our culture will accept at face value. The approach to win the new generation to Christ must be philosophical in nature. One first step is to acknowledge that the Bible is a mysterious book that contains wisdom embodied in stories. Yes, I believe these are much more than stories - they are as true as anything can be true. But my friends at the coffee shop do not recognize such truth. So, we present them with a truth they can warm up to. This book is an ancient document, filled with the wisdom of the ages. Hebrews 4:12-13 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." This passage is about revealed truth. We regard that as the Bible. Our culturally driven friends may see God’s revelation in several different venues. But there is a chance for a discussion on how the Bible is more than just an old dusty book. Here is a book that penetrates the soul, judges the heart, and professes to uncover before us the God who knows all. But we do not know all, and we ought to brag about it. In fact, part of the angst of our age is the desire to know coupled with the acknowledgement that we cannot know. Even the Bible writers did not know everything. 1 John 3:2 says, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Still, we search for God in both common and unfamiliar territories. I have a theory that 'postmodernism' is not all that new. I think we talk about it a lot, but ultimately man seeks to be self-directed, is often in angst about his purpose and identity, and is moved by his own perceptions and feelings even when they move him away from obvious truth. But whatever you want to call it, we cannot just toss aside cultural icons such as "The DaVinci Code". The buzz over the code may be a passing fad. If the first movie reviews are accurate, the film may be a failure, disappointing those who were unwilling to take the time to read the book. Or maybe we'll be talking about it in ten years. Either way, the cultural rejection of the Bible as the inspired Word of God is complete and the embracing of fables as new and exciting truth is our cultural reality. Our job as Christians is to find ways to turn people's minds to Jesus Christ, and ultimately to the Scriptures to find out all we can about this paradoxical Savior. We cannot do this by simply pointing out how wrong everyone is. Instead, the light of real Christianity must shine brighter than ever before. Service, love, sacrifice, and compassion must characterize the Christian community. Perhaps while we were busy fighting one another the world grew tired of us, and looked for something else. Have you ever thought that maybe WE are the reason The DaVinci Code is so intriguing to our culture? That may be true in some cases. Overall, we must live in our culture, share the gospel within the context of our culture, and use every tool at our disposal to bring the life giving message to the lost.