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Part 4: How the Bible Deals with the Bible

We've established who God is (love itself, revealed in Jesus), what Scripture is (inspired but not inerrant, polyvalent, communally interpreted), and how to read it (multiple valid methods oriented toward liberation). Now comes what I think is the most interesting part: watching the Bible argue with itself.

Despite claims to the contrary, biblical authors didn't just passively receive divine dictation. They wrestled with inherited traditions, revised earlier understandings, and straight-up changed the narrative when it no longer fit what they'd come to know about God. They did theology by doing exactly what we've been doing—reading critically, questioning boldly, and trusting that new revelation can correct old assumptions.

For careful readers of the Scripture, none of this should be scandalous. It's straight-up “biblical.”

Part 4 examines how biblical authors handled theological problems in their own texts. When they encountered passages that contradicted what they'd learned about God's character, they didn't throw up their hands and say "Oh well, I guess God is just a genocidal maniac!" They innovated. They reinterpreted. They wrote new stories that directly contradicted old ones.

If Scripture models this kind of theological development, then maybe we're allowed—even called—to do the same.

Day 16: Change the Narrative

"Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, 'Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.'" —2 Samuel 24:1

"Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel." —1 Chronicles 21:1

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