Andy Stanley, senior pastor of Atlanta’s North Point Community Church, recently preached a sermon, “For the Bible Told Me So.”  If I understand correctly, this was his thesis: we shouldn’t believe Jesus loves us because the Bible says he does, but because the apostles were witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection and, therefore, everything Jesus taught is true.

Confusing?  Uh, yeah.  But more importantly, potentially dangerous.  If we can’t stand on biblical truth, how do we know Jesus rose from the dead?  How do we know the apostles were witnesses?  How do we know Jesus loves us?  Are we to treat the Bible like a Chinese menu?  (“I believe in Jesus, but not in Jonah’s fish or John’s Revelation!”)

This link http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/09/26/bible-tells-biblical-authority-denied/  takes you to Dr. Albert Mohler’s response to Stanley.  In the 8th paragraph you’ll find a link to Stanley’s sermon on video.  You should watch.  Then read Mohler’s response.  Then, if it’s not past bedtime, finish off with my comments.

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If you’re still with me, a few final comments . . .

Archaeology.  Undoubtedly, as Stanley asserts, some dates in Scripture don’t seem to add up.   Archaeology has yet to prove the historical authenticity of certain sites or events.  Stanley warns if the Bible is the foundation of our faith, “as the Bible goes, so goes our faith.”  It’s a “fragile house of cards” that comes tumbling down.

As I see it, archaeology is confirmative not determinative.  I’m not an archaeologist, so I may be wrong.   Because archaeologists haven’t yet found remains of Jericho’s fallen-down walls doesn’t mean they won’t or that the walls didn’t fall, no matter what a high school teacher or college professor may claim.

Bibliolatry. Bibliolatry is the worship of the Bible.  Sometimes I fear some of us get so Bible-centered we forget it’s meant to point beyond itself to God and what he’s said and done.  Stanley may have something to say to us there.  What he does say is this:  “Christianity does not exist because of the Bible anymore than you exist because of your birth certificate.  It’s the other way around.”

Well, duh!  Whoever said Christianity exists because of the Bible?   The Bible records what God has done in human history through Israel, through the church, and primarily through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Book exists to bring us to the Person.  Who doesn’t know that?

“Contradictions”.  Take the age of the Earth.  Some Christians emphatically believe, by counting biblical generations, that the Earth is 4,000-6,000 years old, while scientists insist the age is billions.  Can we believe the Bible about Jesus if science “proves” it wrong on this?  No time to delve into possible explanations.  Let me just say this about these apparent “discrepancies”.

A long time ago someone told me, “Treat the Bible like a friend.  When you come to something that doesn’t seem to ‘fit’, just trust and wait.  Keep the friendship.  Sooner or later you’ll understand.”

Or how about this?  There’s a great deal about the universe we don’t understand.  Do we conclude it’s not truly the universe because of contradictions or “missing pieces”?

Good Heart, Unfortunate Approach.  I assume Stanley’s motive is good:  he’s trying to reach people turned away from Christ because their simple childhood faith can’t stand against the onslaught of intellectuals determined to prove the Bible untrustworthy.  Unfortunately, by treating the Bible as of secondary importance, Stanley undermines the very source needed  for mature faith.