Why can't Christians agree on what the Bible says?
I think this is a pretty popular question, and it is a stumbling block for both Christians and non-Christians because the implication is that if Christians can't agree on what the Bible even says, then we can't use the Bible as an authority: if anyone claims the Bible says one thing, how can we know it's not just their opinion? After all, can't someone else just claim the Bible says the opposite?
I want to suggest that it is indeed possible to read and understand what the Bible says for yourself, and therefore anyone who is willing is able to engage in discussion with others about what the Bible says. I am suggesting that it does not come down, in the end, to baseless claims that the Bible supports a personal opinion, nor does it require a central authority to govern the correct interpretation. Instead, reading the Bible for what it is means that many people will come to the same conclusions about particular topics like who Jesus is and what he came to do, and perhaps on other topics there may be room for differing opinions.
Over the next few posts, I hope to explain how I think a fair, common understanding of the Bible is possible. I'll start with what the Bible is, then discuss some common mistakes, and then try to explain an approach to reading the Bible which I think does it justice.