Analysis Of Having Words With God: The Bible As Conversation By Karl Allen Kuhn

Introduction The Bible for many has several interpretations, and meanings. There is not one interpretation or meaning in which Christians all believe identically. Each part of the Bible has its own symbolic meaning to each faith, and their ways to interpret those meanings may differ from other Christians. In Having Words with God: The Bible as Conversation by Karl Allen Kuhn, Kuhn describes the Bible as a conversation between several and God. In this essay there will be a different approach to the same metaphor effect describing the Bible but, as a Pizza. The Bible is like a Pizza in the ways of having many toppings (topics) and layers (depths within the text), not to mention the types or styles just like there are many styles of scripture

This meaning, the Bible is a motivational tool. An example of this in passage is 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” As the layers of a pizza each have their individual depth, the layers of the Bible (scriptures) are used as deeper significance and motivation for all God’s people to learn his ways and do well by him and others. Kuhn even mentions how the Bible is used by Christians similarly, “It grants believers the confident sense that answers to many of life’s questions (from the profound to most mundane) can be found in this sacred text (p. 4).” He is essentially stating the Bible is used for motivation and inspiration by many Christians to conquer daily

The reasons for it being human is like Kuhn states in his title “The Bible as Conversation”, to have conversation there is a human component. Also there are human authors to the Bible, and each one puts forth the type of story they wanted to communicate. There is also divine intention, God has intentions for us to be his people, but as Kuhn emphasizes, “Divine intention is reversed by human intercession.” This meaning, God’s divine intention can be changed or intersected by human conversation. As in Exodus 33.17, “The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” This was after the Israelites had gone against God’s command about not setting other gods before him and not making an idol for themselves. And then, Moses had gone before God to stand up for the Israelites, to have God show his mercy on them. Conversely, an example of the Bible as divine would be 2 Peter 1:20-21, “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” Here what the Bible is mainly saying is we are to read the scriptures as God wrote them, and that it is all “God breathed.” I feel Kuhn has it right though, because to have divine intention by God there must also be a human component. This being,