By now you have probably heard that the editors of GQ magazine included the Bible in their list of “21 Books You Don’t Have to Read.” In this article, they foolishly and naively describe the Bible as “repetitive, self-contradictory, sententious, foolish and even at times ill-intentioned.”
Such a clueless, dismissive attitude is embarrassing in light of the fact that the Bible has been the basis of the rise and fall of civilizations, and the source of inspiration for emperors, kings, presidents and untold millions of people of all cultures and races. They obviously know very little about the Bible, and I suspect they have never read it.
Here are five amazing facts about the Bible the GQ editors need to know. Every Christian should also be aware of these facts.
Fact No. 1: There Is No Other Book Like the Bible: The Bible is unique in its circulation. It is the perennial all-time best seller. No other book comes close. It has been translated into over 2,800 languages with new translations being continually produced by committed linguists who believe every people group on earth should have God’s word in their own language. No other book has anything approaching its constant circulation.
The Bible is also unique in its composition. It is comprised of 66 books written over a 1600-year period by over 40 authors from every walk of life, including kings, peasants, philosophers, sheepherders and fishermen. Despite the diversity of authorship and time of composition, there is a thread of unity running throughout that binds the whole together, making it one book. There is nothing like it in all of human literature.
The Bible is unique in the opposition it has provoked throughout history. Regimes that oppress their people fear the Bible because of its message of individual freedom, hope and salvation. Communist and Islamic nations fear the Bible and tend to outright ban it or restrict its free access to their people. In spite of the opposition, the Bible has survived because it is God’s Word. It is like an anvil that has worn out many a hammer.
Fact No. 2: The Bible Profoundly Influenced the Founding of America: A 10-year project to discover where the Founding Fathers got their ideas for America’s founding documents found that, by far, the single most cited authority in their writings was the Bible. The following select quotations affirm this primary role of the Bible in America’s founding.
“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” —George Washington
“I have examined all … and the result is, that the Bible is the best book in the world!” —John Adams
“That book, sir, is the Rock on which our Republic rests.” —Andrew Jackson
“It is the best gift God has given to mankind. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book.” —Abraham Lincoln
Fact No. 3: The Bible’s Accuracy and Reliability Have Been Confirmed by Modern Archaeology: Archaeology, a recent science, has confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the Bible. Sir William Ramsay, an agnostic professor of theology at Oxford University and one of the greatest archaeologists of all time, originally thought he would scientifically discredit the New Testament by retracing the steps of Paul as delineated by Luke in the Book of Acts. But after years of retracing Luke’s account of Paul’s travels and doing archaeological excavations along the way, Ramsay completely reversed his view of the Bible and first-century history. Ramsay became convinced that Acts was written in the first century by the traditional author, and he acquired a very high regard for Luke as a historian. He wrote, “Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense; in short, this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians.”
Archaeology has, indeed, affirmed the biblical record again and again. William F. Albright was a world-renowned archaeologist and professor of Semitic languages at John Hopkins University. Like Ramsay, he began his work as a skeptic, but he too was changed by the evidence. After many years of leading archaeological excavations in the land of the Bible, he wrote, “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and brought increased recognition to the Bible as a source of history.”
Yes, the Bible is the most unique and powerful book ever written. Its ultimate purpose is to reveal to humanity God’s Messiah and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke of all the things that had been written in the Old Testament concerning Himself (Luke 24:44). We, therefore, read the Bible, not to just accumulate knowledge, but to come to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a relational book.
The GQ article merely reflects a trend in modern culture the church must guard against. We must be people of the Book. The noted historian, Philip Schaff said, “Every true progress in church history is conditioned by a new and deeper study of Scripture.”