What does it mean to take the Bible seriously?

The 2000 Dunkirk Colloquy in Dunkirk, New York, brought together members of the United Church of Christ for reflection and conversation on the authority of scripture for Christians. Keynote presenters included the Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minster and President of the United Church of Christ, and the Rev. Frederick Trost, Wisconsin Conference Minister. The Rev. Paul Hammer led Bible study.

The Bible both unites and divides us as a church. Our spiritual ancestors have never agreed, even in the first generations of the Christian community, about the right way to read and apply Scripture. Today, views in the UCC (like all other mainline denominations) range from conservative to liberal. Scripture often quoted by all sides in the ethical conflicts that divide us as well as many other churches. The Bible is God’s gift to the church, to be read for our instruction and comfort, but we often use it as a hammer to strike down the arguments of our opponents, or even to exclude each other from the Body of Christ.

Right interpretation of Scripture necessarily includes right living, that is, we cannot hear God’s word in the Bible if our minds and hearts are closed to each other. These were some of the issues that were explored at Dunkirk.

 John Thomas
UCC President Thomas proposes a reading of the Bible that takes its origins seriously and is heard liturgically in the context of a community united in worship.

 Fred Trost
Fred Trost argues that when the Bible is taken seriously, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

 Paul Hammer
Paul Hammer finds the unity of the Bible enriched by its diversity.