Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time”, is one of the harshest critics of Christianity on the popular scene today.  He often spouts off about the Bible and Jesus.  He even said this about the scriptures, ““The Bible was not meant to be history; it was not meant to be literal.  They were parables; people read it back then and read into it something that was not literal; we’re the dummies who read it literally.”


So what about that?  Is the Bible just a parable?  Is it a story that isn’t meant to convey history but just teach a moral lesson?


In fact, the Bible does contain parables that aren’t meant to convey history.  Jesus’ stories, for example, are symbolic stories that are meant to convey a deeper truth.  


Take the story of the unfaithful servant who does his own thing while the Master leaves him in charge while he is gone.  The Master returns to find everyone doing their own thing and the estate in a state of neglect.  The servant learns too late that he will pay dearly for his neglect.


The parables of the BIble don’t have less weight because they are parables and not literal stories.  The Bible is full of all kinds of literature–apocalyptic revelations, prophecies, doctrinally instructive letters, historic narrative, etc.


So how about you?  How are you putting the truth-treasure chest of scripture into the life-shaping role the Bible is meant to have?  Dig into it today–God’s got something to say to you, whether it’s a parable or not!  🙂