On the Beginning

As a teenager, one of my biggest objections to Christianity was Christians' insistence on believing their seven-day creation story, based on Genesis 1, instead of the theory of evolution that science has so obviously shown to be true. As a college student grappling with the truths of Christianity, I struggled off and on to reconcile my faith in God with my understanding of the scientific method. In my mind, believing the Bible is not as simple as saying “God said it, therefore it must be true.” Don't get me wrong, Scripture is true, but to fully understand that truth we need to put it in context.

In the case of Genesis 1, my solution has too often been to say “it's symbolic” and leave it at that.

On Controversial Texts, Part 1: Ephesians 5:22

Let's put this out there right away: The Bible is almost indisputably the most-read and most influential book in the history of the world, but it's also very likely the most controversial. Arguably no text elicits stronger emotions, both positive and negative, than Scripture.