Why the Bible?

WHY THE BIBLE?

"Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them" (Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).

The Bible is our foundation, understood through tradition and reason, containing all things necessary for salvation. Our worship is filled with Scripture from beginning to end.  

The Episcopal Church takes reading the Bible very seriously. Approximately 70% of the Book of Common Prayer comes directly from the Bible, and Episcopalians read more Holy Scripture in Sunday worship than almost any other denomination in Christianity.


Why Do Episcopalians reject Biblical Fundamentalism? 
"Episcopalians are often put on the defensive when it comes to our approach to the Scriptures.What is often impied is that we Episcopalians don't teach the Bible. The judgement is that if we did understand the Bible we would change some of our ways. From time to time I'll see a church advertise itslef as a Bible Church. The implication is that there are some non-Bible churches. Not too long ago, I saw a church advertise itself as an "Open Bible Church." Again, the antithesis of an open Bible church is a closed bible church.

I want to remind you of some of the things you need to remember about the Anglican Communion and our use of scriptures.
First, I waant to remind you that itr was the Anglican Communion, the Church of England, that gave the Bible to the English speaking world. It was the Church of England that translated the scriptures into the vernacuar. The English speaking world received the scriptures from us.

The sseconf thing I would remind you is that in the Episcopal Church, in the Anglican Communion, absolutely nothing can be taught as being necessary to one's salvation that cannot be found in scritures.

Third, I would remind you that every deacon, priest and bishop who wants to be ordained in the Episcopal Church must take an oath of conformity. This is the Oatth of Conformity: "I do believe that the Old and New testaments are the word of God and contain all things necessary to salvation." 
~From Those Episkopols by The Rev. Dennis Maynard

How Episcopalians Read the Bible (and why more should)
~From The Episcopal handbook



TOUGH QUESTIONS: How Can I Read the Bible Intelligently? "What do we mean by the "Authority of Scripture?
(Poor video quality but good 15 minute presentation)

~The Rev. Bennett Jones, Christ Church Fitchburg MA

“Reading the Bible on Three-Legged Stools”


~Borrowed from The Episcopal Handbook and St. Michael's Fayette, Alabama

Watch: How Our Church Got the Bible and How We Use It:

~From Jesus Was an Episcopalian (and you can be one too!)

What do Episcopalians believe about Scripture?

Scripture is the word of God contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  The 39 books of the Old Testament contain the story of God's love from the time of Creation to the birth of his son, Jesus Christ. The books contain God's laws as He gave them to the Hebrew people. The New Testament contains Christ's teachings, the accounts of his life as told by his followers and the beginning of the Church. It is written in 27 books. Within an Episcopal worship service, Scripture is read in lessons from the Old and New Testaments, the Gospel (the teachings of Jesus), the Psalms (poems from the Old Testament) and other prayers.

From the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer’s “outline of the Faith;”

The Holy Scriptures

Q. What are the Holy Scriptures?
A. The Holy Scriptures, commonly called the Bible, are the books of the Old and New Testaments; other books, called the Apocrypha, are often included in the Bible.

Q. What is the Old Testament?
A. The Old Testament consists of books written by the people of the Old Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to show God at work in nature and history.
Q. What is the New Testament?
A. The New Testament consists of books written by the people of the New Covenant, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to set forth the life and teachings of Jesus and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom for all people.
Q. What is the Apocrypha?
A. The Apocrypha is a collection of additional books written by people of the Old Covenant, and used in the Christian Church.
Q. Why do we call the Holy Scriptures the Word of God?
A. We call them the Word of God because God inspired their human authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible.
Q. How do we understand the meaning of the Bible?
A. We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.