I believe in the Bible but it is a belief that is centered not in words but in The Word and The Word is a word of life and love, forgiveness and joy. I do not accept that every comma and period was placed on paper by a divine finger. There are a multitude of passages that either never did or at least no longer apply to our own spiritual journeys. They are passages that speak to other times and cultures and they are of no assistance on my religious pilgrimage.

I judge the Bible by Christ and not Christ by the Bible. Where there is life, love, hope, joy, forgiveness and grace there is The Word and it is holy. Where there is hatred, exclusion, conditional clauses and legalizing limits there are only words and there is nothing holy about them.

I often compare my understanding of the Bible to my appreciation of a fine work of art. Do I believe in the Bible? Yes, of course I do but it is in a sense not unlike my belief that Van Gogh’s "A Starry Night" is more than just a canvas with splashes of cobalt blue, magenta and yellow #7 paint.

To limit our understanding of the Holy Bible to a literal and blind acceptance of scribbles on a page is to fail to see the beauty, the majesty, the wonder, the life. It is to fail to see what really makes this book holy.