Christ and the Bible

Angela also asks:
"How do you have faith in Christ if you don't believe that all scripture is true?"

Well, it is possible--here is what my approach is:

1. Scripture--The Bible is a collection of stories about Jesus and how he affected the people around him. It was written by humans and is not a perfect document, but God can use it as a tool to teach us. That doesn't mean God always does this, or that the Bible is universally and totally reliable (as I discuss below), but it does mean that the Bible has been and continues to be an important way God speaks to us.

2. Tradition--Looking to how our forbears in faith have followed Christ is another way that God can speak to us. There is a tendency, with too strong an emphasis on the Bible, to priviledge some sections of our tradition over others.

3. Reason--For me, this is what pulls the disparate parts together--we use reason to balance scripture, tradition, and experience, and to critique them. These different witnesses won't always be in harmony, and reason helps judge which ones are more persuasive at any given time.

4. Experience--This is the source of authority that I find most persuasive. And I have met Christ in my personal experience--in the actions of church members and other caring Christians, and in times of reflection, prayer, and worship. I can read about Christ in the Bible, but what makes a real difference to me is encountering Christ personally, whether through the Bible or other sources.