Protestantism

» Brian Tubbs - Biblical Canon

Think of the whole "Word of God" concept at the following levels...

1. God's revelation
2. The author's receipt of that revelation
3. The author's transmission of that revelation
4. The copying and preservation of that transmission
5. Deciding where that transmission fits in with the others - i.e., is it "Scripture" and thus part of the Bible?
6. The numerous translations of the Bible (and the various transmissions included in the Bible)

Logically...it is not necessary to reject ALL six of the above stages if one is unable to accept God ordering the violence that took place in the OT. There could've been a breakdown at any stage - and the ONLY stage that speaks to God's reality is Stage One.

Now, again, speaking for MYSELF...I believe the Bible we have today fairly accurately reflects the Bible written by the original authors. I base that confidence more on the evidence than faith, since the Bible has more manuscript evidence backing it than any other work of ancient literature.

However, other Christians like PaperTurtle are going to argue that there were breakdowns in the stages I've outlined above. Since I'm the Protestantism editor, I'm trying to be fair to all my Protestant brethren and sistren.