Bible Gateway interviewed Jonathan Morrow (@Jonathan_Morrow) about his book, Questioning the Bible: 11 Major Challenges to the Bible’s Authority (Moody Publishers, 2014).
Jonathan Morrow: The Bible is the most influential book in human history. But people are unsure what to do with it in the 21st century. Our culture no longer “speaks Bible.” What this means is that the Bible may still have sentimental value to some people, but it is no longer considered unique, authoritative, and true. At the other end of the spectrum we are seeing an increasing number of people who are outright hostile to the Bible and its message.
In addition to these realities, questions that used to be only asked in graduate seminars are now part of pop culture. It is increasingly common to see skeptical questions about lost Gospels, the origins of Christianity, Bible contradictions, and the general reliability of Bible talked about on YouTube, the History Channel, The Daily Show, and CNN. This is the world our young people are growing up in and they need to be prepared to have better conversations in the classroom and in everyday life. Also, parents need encouragement and training to help students find solid answers.
After wrestling with, investigating, and teaching on these kinds of questions for years, I wanted to write an accessible and reasonable response to the 11 toughest challenges to the Bible that every day people—curious students and busy moms and dads—could understand and use. That’s why at the end of each chapter of Questioning the Bible I summarize the three main points of the chapter and then give examples of how to use this knowledge in conversations. We need to both understand the truth and know how to help others discover it.
Questioning the Bible is a provocative title. Are you saying that it’s OK for people to question the Bible?
Jonathan Morrow: Yes that title is meant to start a conversation. Many people view Christianity and the Bible as just something you must blindly accept. But the reality is that all of us have questions about the Bible. At the end of the day, what we have to figure out is what we will do with those questions.
Will we keep them hidden and allow unanswered questions to slowly erode our confidence that God has spoken? Or will we courageously question the Bible in a way that actually builds our faith?
Honestly, the first hurdle is getting over the idea that good Christians shouldn’t ask the hard questions. It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing this as a lack of faith. And then there is the fear of what everyone else may think if they find out.
Questioning the Bible isn’t always comfortable. In fact it can be downright scary. If we dig underneath “because the Bible says so” what will we find? Have we based our lives on a bunch of fairytales?
My goal is not for everyone to become skeptics. I want Christ-followers to cultivate a more confident faith. That only comes about by walking through honest doubts and exploring hard questions. I wrote Questioning the Bible to help on that journey of faith.
Why does how people view the Bible matter?
Jonathan Morrow: How we view the Bible is no small matter. A lot is at stake. The God of the universe may actually have spoken (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If Christianity is true then there are authoritative answers to life’s biggest questions. But if there is no communication from God, then we are left to our own limited reason and experience to understand our purpose in the world—if there is any ultimate purpose or meaning at all.
Are there any biblical examples of people asking hard questions and wrestling with what to believe?
Jonathan Morrow: As I read the Bible I find people asking the hard questions. My favorite example is Luke who was one of the earliest biographers of Jesus. In a way, Luke was questioning the Bible even before there was a Bible. He investigated everything carefully. He interviewed eyewitnesses. He cross-examined the evidence (Luke 1:1-4). Why? So that he and others might know the truth. And knowing the truth is powerful because it sets people free for life.
Another example is John the Baptist who finds himself in prison questioning if Jesus really is who he claimed to be. I love Jesus’ response because he didn’t require blind faith of John in that moment. Instead he told him to focus on the evidence—what people see and hear about Jesus (Matt. 11:2-5).
There’s no doubt that questions can be messy. But life is messy. Deep down we all long for a real-world faith that’s rooted in reality. When we know why we believe, it frees us up to live out the truth with confidence. And that’s what our world desperately needs.
Has the biblical text been corrupted over the centuries?
Jonathan Morrow: One of the most common objections today is that the Bible has been changed and corrupted over the centuries. Often the “Telephone game” played in elementary schools is used as an illustration of how the copies of copies of copies of copies (you get the idea) have been changed and the message garbled over the years. This is not a good illustration because that is not how the biblical text has come down to us.
To see why, let’s briefly look at the New Testament. There was an intentional process of transmission in place and people cared about getting these texts right because eternal matters were literally at stake. When it comes to recovering the text of the New Testament, we need to ask the right questions:
- How many manuscripts do we have to work with?
- How early are the manuscripts we have to work with?
- How important are the textual variants between these manuscripts?
When we examine these questions, the New Testament is by far the best-attested work of Greek or Latin literature in the ancient world—it’s not even close! I go into much more detail in my chapter in Questioning the Bible, but the bottom line is that we have a lot of manuscripts to work with; we have early manuscripts to work with, and none of the differences between the existing manuscripts affect any central teaching or practice in the Christian faith. You can trust that what was written in the first century is essentially what we have today.
How can Bible websites and apps like Bible Gateway be effectively used in impacting people’s lives?
Jonathan Morrow: While many people own a Bible, few people read the Bible. Bible Gateway is removing those obstacles for people through a great website and well designed apps. I am more convinced than ever that God has actually spoken in his Word. Christianity is true. And because it’s true, we can understand, study, teach and apply God’s Word to all of life.
The first step is to just pick up the Bible and start reading. Over time we will grow in our skill and ability to handle the Bible accurately and pay attention to context (2 Tim. 2:15). I love Paul’s reminder to the Thessalonians that God is at work in and through His Word:
“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”—1 Thess. 2:13 (NIV)
Bio: Jonathan Morrow (DMin, MDiv, MA) is the author of Welcome to College and Think Christianly, and coauthor of Is God Just a Human Invention? He also contributed to the Apologetics Study Bible for Students.
Jonathan is director of creative strategies for Impact 360 Institute (@impact360) where he teaches in the college “Gap Year” program and high school summer Immersion experience. As the founder of Think Christianly, Jonathan speaks nationally on worldview, apologetics, and culture and is passionate about seeing a new generation of Christ-followers understand what they believe, why they believe it, and why it matters in life. His books have been featured on shows like Family Life Today, Stand to Reason, Breakpoint, WAY-FM, Frank Pastore, The Janet Mefferd Show, and Apologetics 315. He and his wife have been married for 13 years and have three children.