Whose is it, anyway???


The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, 
but in the end, there it is. –Winston Churchill


I lost a mentor recently, a woman whom I never met, but whose life journey so paralleled my own in many ways, she felt like my baby sister. My much, much wiser baby sister.

Rachel Held Evans was a writer and a theologian, a brilliant storyteller. I first “encountered” her in Monkey Town, aka, Dayton, Tennessee, where she grew up. Dayton is where the Scopes Monkey Trials were held; as a child of the conservative evangelical church, Rachel’s questions about evolution/ Scripture were seldom addressed as serious. She left the church and later returned. It was her relationship with God that kept her coming back, even when her relationship with the church went south.

Even though she was 25 years younger, Rachel’s questions were often my questions; she gave permission to ask them: How can this story in the Bible be true if it doesn’t jive with scientific fact? This group says the Bible says one thing; that group says another. Who’s right?

All good, legitimate questions. Questions every believer needs to wrestle with. Taking ownership of one’s beliefs means living into, with and through the questions.

No one group gets to claim “ownership” or complete understanding of Scripture. Truth is bigger than that. God is bigger than that. Much, much bigger. So go ahead. Ask your questions. Be ready (and willing) to listen to God for answers.


Monday Think about your very favorite story from the Bible. Reread it through thoughtful, adult eyes. Pray for God’s guidance. Acts 9:36-43

Tuesday Have you ever stopped to question whether the Creation story, Noah’s story or another favorite actually happened? What do you think? What do you believe?) Psalm 23:1-3

Wednesday Look around you. Where do you see God’s truth in the world? Psalm 23:4-6

Thursday Today, hold a shiny object up to the light. Notice how it changes as the light hits different sides of its surfaces. Reflect on how Scripture might be seen the same way. Revelation 7:9-12

Friday How are you feeling? Are you comfortable asking questions about the Bible? Take extra time for prayer today. Let God lead your heart. Revelation 7:13-17

Saturday As you pray for yourself today, be honest. Is your faith in God greater than your faith in the Bible? Give thanks for a soft, curious heart. John 10:22-30

Sunday Gather this morning with your church family and give thanks for the freedoms we celebrate. Exodus 34:6-7

God is still breathing. The Bible is both inspired and inspiring. . . . 
If you’re curious, you will never leave the text without learning something new.
 If you’re persistent, you just might leave inspired. –Rachel Held Evans

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