Postkiwi Duncan Macleod

Having just looked through the Bible Society America research on generational attitudes towards the Bible I’ve been reminded about the difficulties associated with the phrase “Word of God” when describing the Bible.

Here’s the Bible Society questions used in the USA. Which would you choose?

1. Actual Word of God, should be taken literally, word for word
2. Inspired Word of God, no errors, some verses are meant to be symbolic
3. Inspired Word of God, has some factual or historical errors.
4. Not inspired by God, tells how writers understand ways, principles of God
5. Just another book of teachings written by men, containing stories and advice.

What if you wanted to say that the Bible is inspired by God, has some parts that are meant to be symbolic, has some factual or historical errors, points to the interaction of God through Jesus, and tells how the writers understood the ways and principles of God? But you had trouble equating the Bible (a book) with the Word of God.

I came across the issue recently when filling out my profile to be considered for a new placement in the Uniting Church, in a section where I was asked to describe my approach to the Bible. Here’s the categories borrowed from the National Church Life Survey…

1. Literalist: Attenders who believe that the Bible is the word of God, to be taken literally word for word.
2. Contextualist: Attenders who believe that the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of its historical and cultural context.
3. Traditionalist: Attenders who believe that the Bible is the word of God, to be interpreted in the light of the church´s teaching and traditions.
4. Unique book: Attenders who believe that the Bible is not the word of God but a unique book through which God’s word may come to us.
5. Valuable book: Attenders who believe that the Bible is not the word of God but is a valuable book.
6. Little value today: Attenders who believe that the Bible is an ancient book with little value today.

The Uniting Church Basis of Union refers to Jesus as the Word of God, rather than the Bible. We found that people were stumped when they attempted to answer this kind of survey with integrity. How do you choose “Inspired by God, written by people, interpreted in the light of the church’s teaching and traditions, a unique book through which God’s word may come to us”?

Extract from The Uniting Church in Australia Basis of Union

The Uniting Church acknowledges that the Church is able to live and endure through the changes of history only because its Lord comes, addresses, and deals with people in and through the news of his completed work. Christ who is present when he is preached among people is the Word of God who acquits the guilty, who gives life to the dead and who brings into being what otherwise could not exist. Through human witness in word and action, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ reaches out to command attention and awaken faith; he calls people into the fellowship of his sufferings, to be the disciples of a crucified Lord; in his own strange way Christ constitutes, rules and renews them as his Church. The Uniting Church acknowledges that the Church has received the books of the Old and New Testaments as unique prophetic and apostolic testimony, in which it hears the Word of God and by which its faith and obedience are nourished and regulated. When the Church preaches Jesus Christ, its message is controlled by the Biblical witnesses. The Word of God on whom salvation depends is to be heard and known from Scripture appropriated in the worshipping and witnessing life of the Church. The Uniting Church lays upon its members the serious duty of reading the Scriptures, commits its ministers to preach from these and to administer the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as effective signs of the Gospel set forth in the Scriptures.