What does it mean to be a bible based church?
I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago asking if our church was bible based. I understood this as a code word for a certain conservative brand of evangelical theology. And when I asked the person what she meant by that all she could say was that she had heard a preacher on tv say it was important to make sure that the churches you went to were bible based.
I told her that our church learns from the bible, we read from the bible, and that I preach from the Bible. I also told her that we are a theologically progressive church. We welcome queer folks. We have lots of different people in leadership. We believe in climate change and our role as people of faith to combat it. We dwell in the scriptures and learn together how the word interacts with our lives.
I really wanted her to come to our church because this is an amazing place, but mostly I wanted her to be in a place what would work for her. She didn’t come to worship.
For some folks there is a certain way to understand the bible. And only those people who use and understand the bible like them are bible based. To me there is a level of arrogance to assume some sort of ownership of the bible like that. As if all churches weren’t based in God and the bible through human filters and the lenses of traditions.
So yes we are bible based, but maybe not how some folks might mean. We are journeying together and reflecting. We are learning and growing with a dynamic faith that shifts with us as we, like Jesus in Luke 2, know more. See even this blog is bible based!
-Blessings, Eilidh
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