Breaking the
formula and the norm, I received an email from my troll, Gunner,
today. Usually he comes by my place, pulling up in his noisy pickup
truck, or he finds me out and about town as I ‘m buying groceries
or running errands. But today he sent me an email instead of his usual routine.
To:
*******carter@hotmail.com
From:
Gunandrun***@gmail.com
Re: Myths and Legends
Jeff – I know I was just at your place the other day and I don’t try to bother you too often at home, but I had to reach out to you today. Something you said in our last discussion You told me that you understand the creation stories of the Bible to be more myth than history. I believe your exact words were “sacred story, not a scientific document.” And, honestly, I wouldn’t have expected anything other from you, liberal as you are. I’m not even sure why you say your a Christian, really.
But if your going to say your a Christian you should do it right. If your going to say your a Christian you have to accept the Bible as our sure word of prophecy. Wholly. Completely. It’s truth from cover to cover. Not myth. Not fable. Not fairy tale. Not Legend. Not tall tale. But truth. Pure upright truth. There is no fiction in the Bible.
Gunner
I replied. Succinctly.
To:Gunandrun***@gmail.com
From:
*******carter@hotmail.com
Re: Re: Myths and Legends
Gunner.
Come on, man. The Bible frequently uses fiction to teach truth.
j.c.
The conversation continued over the next couple of hours via email.
To:
*******carter@hotmail.com
From:
Gunandrun***@gmail.com
Re: Re: Re: Myths and Legends
Never. Not once.
Gunner.
To:Gunandrun***@gmail.com
From:
*******carter@hotmail.com
Re: Re: Re: Re: Myths and Legends
Setting aside the creation stories (plural, btw) and the other obvious fictions like Jonah, the prophet Nathan used a fiction to teach King David the truth. And Jesus taught with parables. Mark explicitly says that he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
j.c.
To:
*******carter@hotmail.com
From:
Gunandrun***@gmail.com
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Myths and Legend
But parables are not just stories. They were true stories about real, historical people that Jesus knew. Its all true. It’s all real. If its not true historically how could it be true prophetically?
There is no untruth in the Bible, Jeff. You can’t express truth with untruth. We don’t follow cunningly devised fables. God is not a man that he should lie. This is what concerns me most about you. You dismiss the Bible as a mere story book.
Gunner.
To:Gunandrun***@gmail.com
From:
*******carter@hotmail.com
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Myths and Legends
You’re putting words in my mouth again, Gunner. I don’t dismiss it. I accept it for what it is. And I never used the word “mere.” It is profound and has shaped my life since I was young.
You’ve simply misunderstood the genre of Parable as used in the Ancient Near East.
j.c.
To:
*******carter@hotmail.com
From:
Gunandrun***@gmail.com
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Myths and Legend
Jeff. Your either a liar or a fool. Or both. The Bible is DIVINELY inspired. 40 authors over 1,500 years with one true voice. It is TRUTH. Get it right and get saved.
Gunner.
I might have responded again, but I had to make dinner. Millions of Years of Death (the eighth conversation)
An Imaginary Conversation with a Real Troll (the first of the series)
I Will Not Fight the Argument (the second)
Supermarket Wrestling (third conversation)
Do You Even Pray (the troll returns)
All Means All (A fifth conversation)
The Doctrine that Cannot Be Challenged (sixth conversation)
Toward Sodom - (a halfhearted seventh conversation)
Millions of Years of Death (the eighth conversation)
