ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 4, 2026
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to the Bible, specifically what is called univocality. This assumption suggests the Bible speaks with one voice from Testament to Testament, from poetry to narrative, from prophetic declaration to parable. The one voice would be, of course, God’s voice. And most folks take the next step and argue divine inspiration and the inerrancy of the Bible—the ideas that God wrote the Bible and the original manuscripts have no errors or contradictions. When that is a person’s starting place, they often find themselves needing to do a lot of rhetorical and linguistic gymnastics to make things fit. The other day, I was hoping to wear a pair of pants I really liked with a new shirt. Putting them side by side, they just didn’t work. How about a different color belt or shoes? Maybe that will help blend them. Yet nothing I did was going to make that shirt and those pants look good together.
Dan McClellan, the author of the book “The Bible Says So…,” shared on one of his online videos how the Bible expresses univocality on only one topic, and that is slavery. From beginning to end, the Bible is sort of in favor of or generally neutral on the whole idea. For those trying to argue divine inspiration and univocality struggle with slavery, often saying things like, “Well, slavery back in those days wasn’t that bad.” I don’t know about you, but I find the word ‘slavery’ followed by the words ‘wasn’t that bad’ to be deeply troubling. Trying to argue the univocality of the Bible is like trying to argue the univocality of the Barbara Bush Library across from the church. What makes a library amazing is the plethora of ideas and opinions, often offering different perspectives and sometimes being in sharp contrast.
And I would suggest what makes the Bible amazing is the plethora of ideas and opinions, and sometimes they contradict one another. Like the pants and shirt that don’t go well together, no belt is ever going to make someone say, “Oh, I see how those fit perfectly.” The Bible is for me this breathtaking evolution of thought and insight, as people experience the Holy and try to make sense of those experiences in times of happiness, grief, injustice, new beginnings, uncertainty, fear, etc. My understanding of God forty years ago looked a whole lot different than it does today. That’s not to say that my understanding of God was wrong, but I needed some more life under my belt to give depth to that understanding. And I only hope it continues to gain depth.
Allow me to release my expectations and not impose upon you or the Scriptures what was never meant to be. Instead, Holy God, I yearn for a faith that embraces complexity, growth in understanding, setbacks, questions, frustration, renewal, and every other aspect of life that is intricately woven into this sacred library we call the Bible. Amen.
