Today’s voice of the day comes from the Palestinian Anglican priest Naim Ateek. He gets right to the heart of one of my favorite things about the Bible:

“It is part of the genius of the Bible that it preserved a record both of the good and of the bad.” —Naim Ateek.

Unlike other ancient religious texts, the Bible presents its main characters with their flaws and foibles intact instead of carefully edited out. We see both the good and the bad of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, James, John, Paul and countless others. The hero of the story, Jesus, is without sin, but he is still fully human and must endure human weaknesses and limitations: he hungers, he thirsts, he questions God. I’ve always loved the honesty of the Bible, and I hope that you’ve learned to appreciate it as well.

Hat Tip: Sojourners