Conversation Stopper
Many students feel like there is nothing special about the Bible. They feel it is a collection of religious sentiments and is therefore just like any other religious book. It may also have a more subversive agenda in that it is meant to promote one particular view of Christianity at the expense of more “tolerant” options.
Assumptions
- The Bible is not trustworthy, because it was written so long ago.
- Men (and not God) wrote the Bible for their purposes.
- All religions claim to have their own truth.
- It is arrogant to place the Bible above other religious texts.
- Books like The Da Vinci Code disprove the Bible.
Talking Points
- If there is a God, do you think God has to remain silent, or could God communicate if God wanted to? (Most will grant that God can do anything that God wants; otherwise we aren’t talking about God)
- How would you feel if your professor never told you how to succeed in your class and left up to you to figure out, and that you only found out when you received your final grade? Do you think God would want to communicate something of Himself to His creation? Do you think it’s reasonable that God would want to help us flourish in this life and know how to get to the next one? (Most grant that this sounds reasonable)
- Then the real question becomes…where has God shown up? Or, where and how has God communicated with us? It also seems reasonable that God would commit his story to written language so all people could have access to God.
- To answer this question one can study various religious texts (revelations) to determine which ones have the ring of truth to them.
- I’m drawn to Jesus because he appears to be God’s ultimate answer to the question of number 3. Instead of men and women pointing to God, and speculating about God, Jesus is the opposite. God coming to us. Thus, if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
- If you have not studied this Jesus that would be a good next step. When you see the way he lived, the things he taught, the way he died, and the way he came back to life, you may decide that He can be trusted and followed.
- If you decide that He is God speaking to you, then, you can trust his view of the Bible which is that God moved humans to write down God’s words for humans to flourish.
- This does not mean that everything that others have said about God is false. People can sometimes get things correct. Like caring for the marginalized is valued in virtually all religions. But if you come across a contradiction between Jesus and someone speculating about God, then you should stick with Jesus as the final authority.
Additional Resources
What are some qualities that make another human trustworthy for you?
Share some qualities in a comment below.
>> Find more Conversation Stoppers
