Chalke Talk 10: Take the Bible seriously, not literally

An obsession with creation vs evolution has caused large parts of the Church to miss the true message of the creation story, says a prominent Christian leader. “In fact”, he explains, “here we are in the 21st century and most of the world has still not come to terms with Genesis’ radical message of inclusion and equality.”

In the latest instalment of his ‘Chalke Talk’ video series, Rev’d Steve Chalke argues that because aspects of the Church have for too long tried to defend the historicity of the Genesis 1 creation poem, Noah’s Ark and various other stories, they have failed to grasp the opportunity its real message presents us with.  At the same time, they have unwittingly played a role in the erosion of confidence in the Bible’s authority and relevance.   

By teaching people to take every word of scripture at face value, church leaders fail to equip young and old to know how to hold and then apply their faith to the world around them. By encouraging people to take the Bible literally, we have too often failed to take it seriously.

Do you agree with Steve?

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