Cheeky Professor Dishes Doubts About Bible
In a breezy, humorous style that some might find impudent, biblical scholar and theologian Peter Enns stirs controversy with his book The Bible Tells Me So, a work that continues in a long tradition of biblical criticism by liberal seminary professors.
Enns questions Mosaic authorship and many of the stories contained in the Old Testament, believing instead that "Israel's storytellers" during the time of the monarchy shaped and crafted a narrative to enhance their national aspirations – with little regard for historical accuracy.
He doesn't think the Bible should be used as an "owner's" or "instruction manual" because "what the Bible says happened often didn't – at least not the way the Bible describes it." Instead, he sees the Bible as a more fluid and flexible model for one's spiritual journey.
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Enns is particularly appalled that God would instruct the Israelites to kill the Canaanites during their conquest of the Promised Land. Because the cursing of Canaan seems "extreme and misdirected" and this "genocidal" "warrior-god" appears terrifying to him and out of character with his conception of God, he ultimately decides these events never really happened.
"God never told the Israelites to kill the Canaanites," he concludes. He says, "the conquest of Canaan as the Bible describes did not happen," because archaeological discoveries he cites have found evidence that no more than four cities (out of 16) show signs of violent destruction during the time of Joshua.
Is it possible the archaeologists have not found the evidence yet, or, the cities were conquered and the evidence has vanished over time? Is it possible that not every city was burned to the ground or met the kind of destruction that would leave a discernible residue thousands of years later?
Could it be that God ordered the destruction of the inhabitants of the Promised Land because of their abominable practices, which included incest, bestiality, child sacrifice and the worship of false gods? If the Israelites had "played nice" with them and inter-married, they would have lost their way spiritually, with mounting corruptions leading to their self-destruction as a people.
God's infinite wisdom (inherent in His laws and commands) sought to preserve their health and longevity – ultimately as his chosen vessels to bring a saving Messiah to a lost world.
Enns doubts the walls of Jericho fell down, ridicules the idea of talking animals such as Balaam's donkey, and thinks the Bible's version of creation was probably modeled after Babylon's creation story – "to do it one better."
