There’s a quiet irony in how the biblical text travels through families like a treasured keepsake. Many of us, particularly in the West, receive the Bible as some form of family heirloom. We inherit beliefs and ideas about it from parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, religious leaders, and even political leaders. We are told what it is, what we are to believe about it, and even what it says long before we can read or comprehend it.
Now, I’m not saying this is a problem in and of itself. Families are certainly free to pass down whatever they deem important to future generations. Sometimes we even do this unconsciously, raising our families within a particular context or tradition without ever pausing to consider why we are doing it.
The issue arises when those of us who inherit these ideas, these beliefs about the Bible, without ever taking the time, at some point in our lives, to ask ourselves why this particular text is important, not just to us, but to those who came before us. We basically navigate through life with what I call regurgitated, or in less vulgar terms, recycled ideas and beliefs that we have never, and probably never will, give any serious thought.
I think that is a disservice not only to the generations under our care, but also to the generations that preceded us and to the Bible itself.
You see, the Bible is not the kind of family heirloom you can pass down to your children or grandchildren as if it were a watch, a brooch, or some other valuable object. Passing down tradition, culture, and religious belief is certainly an integral part of the human experience, but the point remains: the Bible is more than a family heirloom. It transcends places of worship, countries, generations, and even civilizations.
The Bible, or the biblical text as we refer to it here, is a cultural artifact of humanity, one that requires, especially in our context, serious consideration and reflection. Whether you like it or not, the Bible will at some point in your life, and in the lives of your children, be used as a tool to pass legislation that you may or may not agree with. It will be used to regulate certain behaviors and to shape the very society in which you live, work, and play.
This isn’t a bad thing per se, but it is an enormously important fact. It’s far better to understand why we invest the biblical text with authority and value than to remain unaware and let those in power make decisions that will affect you in one way or another while using the Bible to justify their positions.
I like to say that an informed Christian is a more effective Christian. If you identify as a Christian, you will be far more effective in living out your faith when you are informed about it, particularly its sacred texts, than when you are not. This doesn’t mean you should be effective only when using the Bible to shape society in ways that benefit you and those who think like you. It also means you should be effective in preventing the Bible from being misused in the public arena. We have all seen it done at every election season, especially here in the USA.
So let’s stop treating the Bible as if it were some kind of family heirloom and begin to treat it, respect it, and value it for what it actually is: a cultural artifact of humanity, a repository of ancient wisdom that has for centuries, even millennia, shaped the societies in which we live and raise our families, and that we will eventually leave behind for future generations to engage, enjoy, and protect.
