51
THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NE S S
February, 1942
Bible for Today' Editorial Book Review «
"The E VERY effort to make the Bible when, written into the actual pages of the Word of God, there are hu man insinuations of doubt as to its divine uniqueness, the resultant product is more subtly dangerous than any commentary could be. The Bible is God’s eternal Word; , “ one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass . . . till all be fulfilled,” de clared the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Matt. 5:18). Every possible means should be taken to acquaint men with it in a practical sense. This was the desire that motivated a particularly able writer, John Stir ling, a Chaplain in 'the British Army in World War I, and a member of General Allenby’s historic troops who marched infb and claimed Jerusalem in the name of the Allied forces. Sensing, probably, that the manner of the Holy City’s surrender was re lated to statements clearly made in the Word of God, Mr. Stirling decid es that there was born within him at that time the longing to get people to desire to read the Bible. His -was1 a wholly laudable desire. It should be actively shared by many others. Mr. Stirling spent about twenty years in preparing a volume which, within the last few months, has been issued in the United •States by the Oxford 'University Press. Earlier, it had armeared in England. Entitled The Bible for Today,* the book presents the Authorized Version of the .le, verse by verse, effectively divided into paragraphs and., sections for easier reading. There are 1,255 pages, ex quisitely printed, and among them are almost 200 pen-and-ink drawings, each with a distinct- flavor of moder nity. For one who is himself so evidently talented and scholarly to have spent a large part of his lifetime in poring over the inspired Word should have called forth a personal testimony to the divine- authority and supernatural character of the Book. But all these years were lost, so far as such an achievement as this is concerned, for the writer began his work with his rhjnd steeped in the teachings of Higher Criticism, and his adherence to those views persisted. For example, the author states his purpose thus (bold-face type ours); *Oxfo.rd University Press, New York. Price $5
got between Israel and Egypt while the people were still on the far side, of the Red Sea from ' Mount Sinai? The critics have more problems than the believers. It is not surprising that this work, and others like it, receives loud ap proval from many readers. For in stance, a literary critic of a large Los Angeles, daily, who edits thè Book Re view. section of his paper, agrees whole-heartedly with Mr. Stirling, as can be gathered from his review of the book. In a long article in which no adverse comment a p p e a r s , he writes: “That the Bible is Gospel and that Gospel, means good news we have learned from pulpits and family altars .for generations, ipjf goodness no one doubted until the advent of the Nazis, but «the ‘news’ feature was not always made apparent . , . That is to say, the Bible as a book was in ancient garb and what seemed to many a quaint language. ' But here is a Bible in which the news feature must catch and hold the attention of even the most casual reader/ The newspaperman is right. The book, for many readers, 'will “ catch and hold the attention.” But if, doing' that, it fails to present the Saviour and to stir within' the reader’s heart a great longing to partake; person ally, of'the benefits of His atoning death bn Calvary—“the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” —then of what good are the devices of getting and holding attention? Unless that Saviour is seen, both in the Old and New Testaments, of what practi cal value is the reading? And unless the Bible record—just as it Stands— is to be believed and trusted, where is the ground for confidence? Human nature recoils at the thought of accepting a divine and supernatural solution for the ugly problem of per sonal sin. Yet there is no other solu tion. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name " under heaven 'given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). The Word gives light for all who will receive it. And he who comments òn the holy Scriptures—be he preach er, teacher, or writer—must solemnly see to it that he does not veil, from poor sinners the view of their only Salvation, the_ Lord Jesus Christ.
understandable and popular in the sense that it is read with (any eagerness is commendable. But
“Tile putpose of this book is soon stated. It is to give the people of today a copy of the Bible that is easy to read^and that will take them at once to the heart of its message . . . A new approach is needed in these days. Men cannot now read the Bible as their fathers did, with simple and unquestioning faith. Modern critical scholarship has made that impossible.” • Especially in' the footnotes with which the book is provided, the author commits himself as a believer in the Documentary-Hypothesis theory of the Graf-Welhausen-Kuenen School. This theory holds that the books of the Bible were each written by various authors and at different times, and that the final compilation was the work of some editor or editors years removed from the supposed time of the writing of the respective books. ... The author of this particular vol ume frequently suggests doubt of the supernatural character of the Word of God. For instance, commenting on the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (Ex. 13:21, 22), he says:. “If a natural explanation must be found for these beautiful sym bols of God’s guidance the most likely is that which sdys Sinai was at this time an active vol cano. Its columns of smoke and fire could be seen for miles over the desert, and would be like a beacon signal given by the God of Sinai to those who were seeking their way to Him. There are ob vious objections to this as to every other attempt to explain the “mystery.” One may ask: Why try to explain it? Why not believe what the Word says about it? And how
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