The Bible: The Word of God or The Word about God?

Many of the faithful are asking, “Am I a Christian if I don’t believe everything the Church teaches?” Silently or openly, people today are frequently replying in the negative, especially numerous former Roman Catholics. The old official answers, rigidly formulated and imposed in an age with different political and philosophical backgrounds, are now, for such Christians, simply mystifying and obsolete, dreadfully out of touch. There is no doubt that dogma, official teachings, and the meaning of the Bible need reformulation as the Church regroups after a terrible pandemic. Bausch makes no suggestion that such new approaches in teaching the faith must compromise or be tailored to fit secular dominance, but rather be reformulated in the wider context of (1) newer understandings of biblical times with their penchant for storytelling and flexibility and (2) modern epiphanies regarding artificial intelligence, black holes, other worlds, genetic manipulations, and other scientific revelations. Bausch’s aim is not to discredit the Bible, but to reset it. His hope is to provoke better answers—and, as you will discover, “provoke” is the right word!