Bible
I am not going to be updating this section too often for the next while, as I am concentrating on work and school. Enjoy these links, if this topic interests you...
Living Word Christian Center
Cfaith.com
Rhema
Studying the Bible
This will be a sort of left-brain/computer science/mathematical approach to Bible Study. Anyone interested
in this sort of approach will no doubt be interested in Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks
About, MIT lectures on relationships between faith and science, by Donald E. Knuth, author of The Art of
Computer Programming and Professer Emeritus of Computer Science at Stanford University.
The keynote scripture I use for Bible study is this:
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went
into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble that those in Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether these things were
so.
-Acts 17:10, 11
It ought to be encouraging to see that God apparently considers it noble to consider well what
you are told; these Bereans are applauded for receiving the Word with readiness of mind. Also, they
clearly were not willing to merely take Paul at his word; it says they searched the scriptures, to see if
these things were so. This implies a critical thinking, an open skepticism even, which most computer
science-type are probably more comfortable with than `blind faith'. I believe the Bible encourages us to
involve our minds in Bible study, not to blindly accept every thing we are told.
Mind you, I do believe the Bible is true. Any logical discussion must have an axiomatic `starting
point', and one of the axioms that I will presume is that the Bible is inspired, accurate, and
authoritative. There may be a time when I choose to go `down a level'(mathematically speaking), and get into apologetics or
Bibleology, reasons to believe the Bible. Until that time, I will (when I begin adding to this page) start at a higher level of discussion,
as though we already agree that the Bible is true. Those interested in reasons to believe will be very interested
in the writings of Ravi Zacharias, or Josh McDowell, among others.
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