If the church can be fallible so can the bible

A practical, humble approach to life demands that we do not assume the righteousness of ourselves and others without question. No matter how you slice it, people are fallible, no matter how close they may appear to be to God. No-one is able to take the human equation out of the expression of their faith long enough to make their statements above scrutiny.

This is how we approach the church. This is how we approach church leaders. Why should the bible, created at the hands of people, be subject to any less? If we say the human equation was missing from the creation of the bible, it opens the door for false prophets to say the same about their ministry in their churches. They can claim to be the mouthpiece of God the same way those who wrote and collated the bible claimed to be.

Some people counter this argument by using “All scripture is God-breathed” in conjunction with “Ye shall know them by their fruits”. The first part of the argument is circular and again allows for the false prophet to claim that their ministry is God-breathed under the same rationale. The second part of the argument is interesting, and it would perhaps be best argued by victims. What would the victims of the crusades, the inquistions, the witch hunts, and other Christian crimes and prejudice through history say about the fruits of the bible? Christians often talk context with regards to the bible while ignoring the most important one: how the bible was used in practice by those who gave it physical presence. The context the bible is argued in today ignores that aspect completely.

This is why prayer, the development of a personal relationship with God, and fellowship, the development of interpersonal relationships through love, are so important. We complete the circle of our love and knowledge through these two crucibles of guidance. They also have the advantage of being immediate avenues of growth when approached with humility, and as such safeguards against self righteousness.