"The Bible Says", and Other Terrible Sayings
Often, in the Protestant milieu, one hears such things as, "The Bible says ... ", followed by their pet heresy or denial of the Truth. This is patent silliness. The Bible doesn't "say" anything. It just sits there on the desk. Opened or closed? Doesn't matter, although in many cases it is closed anyway! The Bible does not speak, but the reader. The Bible itself (I mean the book with pages that sits on your desk) is but impressions of ink on paper. It is the reader that speaks, or the one who gives the interpretation also, not the Bible itself. One might object, of course, to my blatant pedantry. Why am I being so silly? When colloquial understanding is in accord with Truth, one need not dig deeper and examine the usage. But when it is turned against the Truth, as this kind of statement often is, precision of language is paramount. Here's why it's a big deal. I saw this sentiment asserted recently in this form: We, as Christian