Bonnie Alba
The Bible, just another book?
By Bonnie Alba
Oprah Winfrey has said it, thus many believe it. She has stated that she cannot believe in a "Jealous God" and declared that "There are many ways to God."
In response, authors Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett have produced a fictional book "O God." The story centers around an ongoing dialogue between two women, one a believer and one who can't accept God on his terms. Direct biblical quotes are used sparingly throughout the story.
"O God" has merit for many who have doubts about God and do not read the Bible.
Some time ago, a friend picked up my Bible and slammed it down on my kitchen counter proclaiming "The Bible is just a book!" Stunned and left speechless, my mind jumped back to a time in my own wilderness (35 years) when I thought the very same thing. If anyone tried to justify the Bible to me, I rejected it — in my continuous rebellion against God.
A Christian for 20 years, I still find myself delightfully drowning as I plumb the depths and riches of the Bible, always leaving me gasping for more. No matter what else I may read — I return, never ceasing to be amazed at God's wisdom and knowledge. My heart always leaps for joy when I discover something I didn't know before, treasures indescribable; in thanksgiving, I push onward.
No other book on Earth:
All other books on Earth were man-inspired whether opinion, theory, philosophy, religion, and inventions — always a man's or group's ideals and thinking. Never do they agree in total completeness.
It is safe to say that Western Civilization would never have arisen and endured without the Bible. In earlier centuries, the Bible was the singular influence on governments and peoples of Great Britain, Europe and America. In America's first 150 years, the Bible was considered the most valuable tool for education in building character and citizenship. That influence continued until the early 1900s in American education with McGuffey Readers solidifying children's characters by using proverbs and other scriptures.
The banishment of the Bible, God and prayer from our educational institutions has produced 2-3 generations of illiterate adults unable to read and comprehend literature and history.
Surveys have shown that people use common phrases without a clue as to their biblical origin. Examples: "Apple of my eye," "The Golden Rule," "eye for an eye," "forbidden fruit," "cross to bear."
That may be changing. The Bible Literacy Project claims 350 American high schools in 43 states now provide classes using their textbook, "The Bible and its Influence," as adjuncts to History and Literature.
Nowhere else in the world does one nation produce and purchase as many Bibles as America. Yet a 2000 Gallop Poll reported that only 16 percent of Americans read their Bibles daily. Millions of Bibles lay unread on dusty shelves.
In other countries where the Bible is not readily available, people desire to hold just one page of the Book. A World Magazine article by Andree Seu told of a woman and son who escaped from North Korea across the frozen Tumen River to China. The son had seen some workers "secretly passing three papers to each other, with strange writing that someone said contained 'truth that would set you free.'" Do we even treasure God's Word to us?
What if all the Bibles in America disappeared overnight? Would Americans even notice their Bibles missing? Would they wonder what happened to them?
As in other countries, would we then develop a craving for God and His Book? Would we risk our lives just to hold a page of this book because it is God's Word to us?
Would you?
"Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us" — 2 Kings 22:13
© Bonnie Alba
November 5, 2009
Oprah Winfrey has said it, thus many believe it. She has stated that she cannot believe in a "Jealous God" and declared that "There are many ways to God."
In response, authors Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett have produced a fictional book "O God." The story centers around an ongoing dialogue between two women, one a believer and one who can't accept God on his terms. Direct biblical quotes are used sparingly throughout the story.
"O God" has merit for many who have doubts about God and do not read the Bible.
Some time ago, a friend picked up my Bible and slammed it down on my kitchen counter proclaiming "The Bible is just a book!" Stunned and left speechless, my mind jumped back to a time in my own wilderness (35 years) when I thought the very same thing. If anyone tried to justify the Bible to me, I rejected it — in my continuous rebellion against God.
A Christian for 20 years, I still find myself delightfully drowning as I plumb the depths and riches of the Bible, always leaving me gasping for more. No matter what else I may read — I return, never ceasing to be amazed at God's wisdom and knowledge. My heart always leaps for joy when I discover something I didn't know before, treasures indescribable; in thanksgiving, I push onward.
No other book on Earth:
- reaches into our hearts and tears back the darkness and renews the human spirit;
- gives us knowledge and understanding about God's character and what He desires of mankind; and,
- shows us how much God loves his creation.
All other books on Earth were man-inspired whether opinion, theory, philosophy, religion, and inventions — always a man's or group's ideals and thinking. Never do they agree in total completeness.
It is safe to say that Western Civilization would never have arisen and endured without the Bible. In earlier centuries, the Bible was the singular influence on governments and peoples of Great Britain, Europe and America. In America's first 150 years, the Bible was considered the most valuable tool for education in building character and citizenship. That influence continued until the early 1900s in American education with McGuffey Readers solidifying children's characters by using proverbs and other scriptures.
The banishment of the Bible, God and prayer from our educational institutions has produced 2-3 generations of illiterate adults unable to read and comprehend literature and history.
Surveys have shown that people use common phrases without a clue as to their biblical origin. Examples: "Apple of my eye," "The Golden Rule," "eye for an eye," "forbidden fruit," "cross to bear."
That may be changing. The Bible Literacy Project claims 350 American high schools in 43 states now provide classes using their textbook, "The Bible and its Influence," as adjuncts to History and Literature.
Nowhere else in the world does one nation produce and purchase as many Bibles as America. Yet a 2000 Gallop Poll reported that only 16 percent of Americans read their Bibles daily. Millions of Bibles lay unread on dusty shelves.
In other countries where the Bible is not readily available, people desire to hold just one page of the Book. A World Magazine article by Andree Seu told of a woman and son who escaped from North Korea across the frozen Tumen River to China. The son had seen some workers "secretly passing three papers to each other, with strange writing that someone said contained 'truth that would set you free.'" Do we even treasure God's Word to us?
What if all the Bibles in America disappeared overnight? Would Americans even notice their Bibles missing? Would they wonder what happened to them?
As in other countries, would we then develop a craving for God and His Book? Would we risk our lives just to hold a page of this book because it is God's Word to us?
Would you?
"Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us" — 2 Kings 22:13
© Bonnie Alba
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