Your regular correspondent Ernest Izett writes "the Bible is full of lies, untruths and discrepancies", (Aug 17th ) and only one reply ! Mr Izett writes with passion and imbalance, yet isn't he patronised if Christians don't respond ? Besides, he deserves engagement.

Christians vary in their approaches to the Bible - from those who seek to follow it literally, to those who unashamedly reinterpret it in the light of our day. Mr Izett appears to think all Christians believe in literal interpretations of the two creation stories in the book of Genesis. Some do, witness Mr John Banks recent acknowledgement of this, but many don't, and both groups will be found in churches in Tauranga.

Many Christians today are also evolutionists, and consider it impossible to think otherwise. As we don't approach the Bible in the manner of Mr Izett ( an inverted literalist ?) there is no difficulty integrating new truths into our faith. Mr Izett won't acknowledge the diversity among Christians, nor live and let live. But progressive Christians would affirm Mr Izett's right to his own integrity of thought over against pressure to believe what he finds beyond credibility...no one can do otherwise. I wonder if he can accept this statement from Christian people.

One interesting fact about Chistianity today, thanks to a number of fields of enquiry, is that we know more about our original faith writings than ever before. Just to know the basic truth that the Bible isn't one book, but over sixty, written by many authors over almost 1000 years, makes it foolish to look for uniformity of thought. Even the accounts of the person of Jesus of Nazareth aren't in agreement, since they emphasise different things.

To understand the Bible, it helps to know who wrote it, when, where, and why. That's possible today, and many Christians reframe their faith stance, in the light of new truth.

If we demand the Bible to speak in our terms, yes, it could appear nonsense. If we approach it with openness of spirit and some knowledge of it's background, it reveals endless treasures, whether we be literalists or progressives.

But Christianity isn't ultimately about beliefs anyway, but giving and receiving unconditional love, trusting, forgiving, hoping, healing,reconciling......the list goes on. Good stuff.

Roger Hey (Rev.)

Ohauiti.