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"Could Christianity survive without the Bible?"

This is an excellent question that requires some very nuanced answers. In short, we know that Christianity can survive without the Bible because, in fact, it did so for centuries. Further, it still does in many places where the Bible is not readily available Christians. We must know that God alone sustains our faith- Father, Son and Holy Spirit (not Father, Son and Holy Bible).

That being said, we can thank God that Christianity does not have to try and survive without the Bible. Nor should we want it to. The Bible is one of the single most important gifts of God to the world. Our faith can only benefit from it.

Some, however, attempt to elevate the Bible to a level almost equal in importance to God, which becomes idolatry (or bibliolatry, to be exact). When it is treated like an encyclopedia of every answer, we miss the deeper and more complex message(s) that the Scriptures offer. Without a doubt many Christians use the Bible as a weapon, placing more faith in it than they do in God.

It is a multi-book book, with many different genres (poetry, genealogy, epistles, etc.), therefore the way we read it and understand it varies. The Bible we have today has gone through many processes, not the least of which is translation, both linguistically and culturally. Then it passes through the filters of our experience, assumptions, worldview, etc. As a result, we need to recognize that even if we believe the Bible to be a perfect record of God's will, there are many barriers in the way that complicate our ability to understand and apply it.

In the end, what is most important is that we treat the Bible with the honour and respect that it is due, both by not underestimating it's importance nor overestimating it. It is a gift from God that will bless the Church greatly when used responsibly with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the humility that acknowledges our own tendency to get it wrong at times.

So, could Christianity survive without the Bible? Yes, but thank God it does not need to.

Learn more about this author, Jamie Arpin-Ricci.
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