The Enduring Story

St. Columba of Scotland was recorded as saying, "Since all the world is but a story, it were well for thee to buy the more enduring story rather than the story that is less enduring."

This quote begins one of my favorite novels, The Paradise War by Stephen Lawhead, but I cannot help but apply the wisdom behind such a quote to the timeless treasure of Scripture as well. We've all seen or heard at one time or another the many arguments to support the validity of the Bible. History Channel documentaries featuring beared British men in dusty khakis roaming around in the desert looking for Biblical city locations; fragments of manuscripts that look like ancient treasure maps; the Dead Sea Scrolls bit; the whole nine yards. Now I am not knocking anyof these methods, they are fascinating and heaven knows the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery to this day is still one of the milestones in the legitimizing of Christianity. But for me there are more practical arguments, that may seem ignorant (too bad), but speak to the validity of the Bible.

One, the Bible is simply too ridiculous, honest and unappetizing to have been some sort of prophetic propoganda. If I was making up a "god" and a "religion" it would certainly probably feature the classic carnal paradises and the whole shebang. There is a reason why all of the wacko's who start cults and move to the midwest write somewhere into the doctrine that as the leader they must sleep with many women very often. It evidences the fact that some dude who was a little unstable and a lot horny one day decided to make up a religion. Not so with the Bible. The God of the Bible does things like loving an entire race of beings unconditionally and when they screw it all up and need to be saved - he pays the debt for them with his own life. Some egomaniac looking for people to follow him so that he can sleep with the women doesn't make up stuff like that.

Secondly, the Bible is too honest and unpalatable. The Bible is a collection of books, written about thousands of people, over thousands of years that tells one central story: Human beings while created perfect, screwed things up royally, defiled themselves and their planet, sinned against their perfect Creator and are in dire need of salvation that is found in the Christ. The Bible paints a picture of the world and of mankind that is simply too uncomfortable, too personal, too revealing, too unnerving, too convicting, too pride-shattering, too counter culture, too un-MTVish, too humbling too...doggone accurate...too real...to be made up. Think about it, if you were to go to the trouble of making up a religion and a god and the whole deal wouldn't it be more like those Coor's Light commercials where the silver train comes out of nowhere and delivers a frigid-cold, unlimited supply of free beer to everyone and they all instantly begin back-slapping, high fiving and enjoying life like they are millionaire supermodels? Isn't that more palatable? If you were to make up a religion and a holy text but you actually wanted people to come into it would you throw in the whole blood-sacrifice, atonement, take up your cross and follow me deal? Would you tell people to deny yourself, to not look at women lustfully, to turn the other cheek, to treat others like you want to be treated, to not talk about religion but live it, to hate your father and mother in comparison to your love for God, to be happy and joyful when people ridicule, mock and exclude you for your beliefs?

Then on top of it all, taking all of the above into consideration, when you actually live as the Bible teaches, it actually works and is in the best interest of every person alive. Because, the truth is many of the aforementioned things regarding made up religions and true religion could also be said about Islam or Buddhism, etc. Neither Islam or Buddhism are like the Coor's Light commericals, in fact in some ways they may be more rigorous and unappealing than Christianity but the honest truth is that they don't work. None of the other religions completely and without exception improve upon the identity and self worth of every individual. None of the others across the board make society a better place when lived out to their fullest extent - somewhere someone is left out or marginalized. Christianity as the Bible teaches is the only religion that when lived out restores the God given identity to every man, women and child. Period.

The story of Scripture is the enduring story, there is no other. The story of God redeeming man through Jesus Christ is the mother of all epics. It is the story, the stage, the setting of which we all are apart of. The greatest apologetic for Scripture is Scripture itself. It speaks, it teaches, it changes lives and instructs lives.

As cliche as it sounds, it simply is and always will be the greatest story ever told.