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What the Bible Really Teaches
by Keith Ward
About the book
Keith Ward, formerly Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford, is uniquely placed to explore what the Bible really says, and he comes to some surprising and challenging conclusions. In many cases he demonstrates that the Bible teaches the exact opposite of what people generally believe.
In this fascinating and engaging book, he shows us how to let the Bible speak and be heard, free from the 'spin' that is often applied. As Professor Ward underlines the importance of allowing the Bible to be its own interpreter, he encourages us to read its life-changing ancient texts with fresh insight and vision.
You can buy What the Bible really teaches here.
About the author
Keith Ward is an Anglican priest and was a Canon of Christ Church, Oxford. He has been F. D. Maurice Professor of Moral Theology in the University of London, Professor of the History and Philosophy of Religion at the University of London, and Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. SPCK published Comparative Theology: Essays for Keith Ward in 2003.
He is currently writing a new book for SPCK exploring and expounding a Christian World view.
Questions about What the Bible Really Teaches
- What has the Bible meant to you and what does it mean to you now? Discuss your thoughts together and share any anecdotes you have about particular times and particular passages from the Bible.
- What did you find surprising about this book? Did you find anything that challenged your fundamental or long held beliefs? How much would you say that you agree with the author's approach to the Bible?
- In Chapter One, Keith Ward asks what we mean when we say that the Bible is inspired. What does the phrase, 'the Bible is inspired' mean to you? Have you changed your view through reading this book?
- In Chapter Two the author writes,
'Some may say, 'There must be a limit to who can really be a member of the Church.' But why should the limit not simply be the love of God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ? If anyone sincerely accepts that, or wants to explore that, they are in the Church.'
Do you agree or do you think that some limits or test of belief is needed for Church membership?
- Does the notion of using the Bible to interpret the Bible make sense to you? Do you feel that it takes away from 'the authority of scripture', or is it an empowering idea inviting readers to use their minds more and question things to a greater extent?
- 'If in the light of our fuller knowledge of the cosmos, we were to paint a picture of salvation now, what would it look like?'
Can you answer this question for yourself? Read again the author's interpretation at the end of Chapter 4 and then, either individually, in pairs, or as a whole group, have a go at writing your own version which might be very different. Here are the opening words of a couple of examples:
'I don't know what salvation will look like because it's beyond words and beyond imagining. The closest I can get is a feeling of being loved...'
'Salvation is the wrong word for me; fulfilment is a better one...'
- Does God have a plan for humankind? How would you describe 'God's plan for God's creation'? How do individuals fit into such a plan?
- Where do you get your ideas about morality from? Do you find that in some areas you are 'swimming against the tide', seeing moral and ethical matters differently to those around you?
- Take a piece of paper and two minutes: write SIN in the centre and any words at all that spring to mind around it. Don't self-censor: any words are valid even if they could only possibly mean something to you.
Talk together about your collections of words and see if any common themes emerge. Can you compare your thoughts with Keith Ward's as expressed in Chapter 6? What do you think of his understanding that humans are free in two senses, spiritually and morally?
- Which of the Theories of Atonement, explored in Chapter 7 from page 106, resonate most with you? Which do you find helpful?
- Was the resurrection a literal rising from the dead into a new form of life for Jesus, or a story told because of its symbolic meaning, or a myth that grew up over time? Is it a literal or a spiritual event? Is it, as the author asserts '... the disclosure of the true nature and fulfilment of the whole created reality revealing the original purpose of creation?'
- Do you believe in judgement after death followed by reward or punishment? What do you make of those passages, such as 2 Thessalonians 1.7-9, which the author describes as vindictive?
What, if anything, do you believe happens to us after our body dies?
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