When I first learned that scholars since the 18th Century have treated the Bible as mythology I became concerned. There is in fact an obvious difference between the Bible and the Greek and Roman stories about Zeus, Hercules, Mars, as well as the Norse gods like Thor and his father Odin. These stories might be entertaining, they might even be based upon real people in some way. We cannot be sure. Yet I doubt that anyone takes them as historically true.

Once I read in a book about Judaism where the author claimed that the stories in their own scriptures were to be taken as allegories, that is they teach moral lessons through story telling. We have of course that concept in modern fictional literature and movies as well.

So today we have people who study archaeology and have found historical evidence that greatly confirms many of the historical situations described in the bible. This is important and helpful. People will believe what they want to believe, of course.

But today I came across this thought: What if a person was to read the Bible simply as they would any other story? What if individuals could immerse themselves in this cosmic adventure as they would in any other novel or film? Think about it. The more we accept and believe the characters in a story about another town, city, country or world are real, the more we enjoy the story and the experience of reading it in a book, hearing it in a recording, or watching it on a screen!

This may go against the grain of general methods of evangelism or apologetics. But I wonder if Christians could ask for unbelievers to simply read the Bible as a story and not a religious book. Maybe they would let down their defenses and get drawn into the grand epic tale that unfolds in its pages!

Maybe they might even become changed by reading it!