So, I really liked parts I and II (The Old and New Testaments),

but do you think it’s time to reopen the canon?

The canon is the collection of writings that have come to be known as The Bible.

Hundreds and hundreds of years ago we closed it up and declared it sufficient.

But then again…

That was before cloning.  Maybe we could use some instruction on that.

It was before technology of any sort, really.

It was before talk of global warming, or gay marriage, or reality television.

Should we commission a supplemental volume —

to clarify what Jesus really meant?

Who would decide what goes in to a Bible Part III?

Would scholars?  Pastors?  You or me? Would we have a 1-800 call in voting system?

I wonder.  Would we come to blows over what constitutes The Word of God?

Probably.

Come to think of it, we already do that with the Bible we have.

Okay then.  No Part III.

No point in adding to the “canon fodder”.

But here’s a thought:

If God had intended the Bible to be the last Word — why give people the gift of writing?

Sure, the Bible may be the most important book on the shelf, but that doesn’t mean you ignore the whole library around you, right?

No, I think God inspires people even today.

From NT Wright to William P. Young (look em up), the written word has the power to enlighten and instruct.

Someone, right now, may be writing words on a page that will one day convey a life-changing insight, one that may cause you or I to revise even the most die-hard opinions we’ve had about The Bible.

I’m going to stay open to that possibility.

I firmly believe that The Good Book points me to a relationship with God, through Christ.  It shows me what salvation means.  It welcomes me into a life of Kingdom-living. It is the foundation by which I try to live my life.

But just the same…

When it comes to something like cloning, or global warming, or even gay marriage…

I’m just glad to remember that God

is still speaking.

Mitch