Faith

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27

Is this passage from the Bible factual or a story to make a point? Does the question even matter? When talking about the Bible I have described it as a book of faith and not a history, science, or other text book. So from my perspective, the first question is mute. When I read the Bible, I look at the context and what it says in light of the larger theme of the Bible. The central theme of the Bible is God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Knowing this changes how we choose to live our lives. One area it affects for Christians is faith.

Why do I bring this up now? I read an article recently that talked about the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. The article from The Atlantic magazine called The False Biblical Literalism expresses concern for the need for this attraction to show that the story of Noah’s Ark is factual. The article expresses how this literalism is contrary to faith. Faith does not need a concrete explanation of events/stories that are included in the Bible. I happen to believe this. For more on my thoughts about reading the Bible go to http://www.newlife-network.com/thoughts.html. What do you think/believe?

Just a quick note. I’m not criticizing this attraction; I’m suggesting that we view it as just that: an attraction. 

One more thing: I know this is a short post. Right now I’m focused on helping my daughter, Diana, get ready for her wedding on Saturday.

---