Microsoft Word - ChristianityNotReligionBkMSS.doc

(WallPaper) #1

I want to be very delicate and selective in my idol-
smashing. I know that I am at great risk of being misunder-
stood and misconstrued. Religionists will hate me for my
radical departure from their traditionalism. They will likely
misrepresent what I am saying in trumped up charges of
treason and by black-listing me for blatant blasphemy.
Can it really be that bad? It could be, but I trust that you
will understand what I am saying in this chapter.
With a big backswing I take my first big swipe at the
idol by declaring, "Christianity is not a Book-religion." In
the previous chapter the assertion was made, "Christianity
is not a religion" that binds us to something. The thesis is
now amplified by declaring that "Christianity is not a
Book-religion." Nor is Christianity the "religion of the
Bible" as many have declared.
What is the Bible? The Bible is a book. The word
"Bible" is derived from the Greek word biblion meaning
"book," or more accurately "papyrus scroll," as this was the
material used for writing in ancient times. The Bible is a
book that is in one sense like every other book in the world,
but in another sense is unlike any other book in the world.
It is like other books in that it is black printing (sometimes
red and other colors) on white paper, and it is a tangible,

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