In his Pentecost 10 sermon Glynn Cardy focuses on how we read the Bible. Is it a rule book or a collection of spiritual stories that serve as a heart guide? One way can blind us, the other can lead us to abundant life.

"Spiritual stories, like those contained in the Bible, are not of course written by God. They are written by pilgrims like us. Some stories endure through generations, and time and again valuably point to the presence of God. These stories come to be collectively labelled as ‘inspired’. Sometimes whole collections of stories, like the Bible, are so labelled.

Yet we need to be careful about how we use the word ‘inspired’. What might be inspirational for one person might be destructive for another. Even collective wisdom can in another time and culture be collective nonsense. Worse it can become a tool for fear, and fear’s child: oppression. There is no guarantee that so-called wise words will last the test of time."

Full text at http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=447&id=865