Journal: A Dubious Scrap of Papyrus vs. the Bible

How can one make an unauthenticated 1 1/2 by 3 inch scrap of papyrus with no context capture the attention of academia, the media, and millions of people?  Make sure that it has a sensational claim.  Not to disappoint, the latest emergence from the innumerable fragments of papyri includes one of the most sensational musings about Jesus -- one that has been the stuff of lore for centuries and made Dan Brown a wealthy man: Jesus was married.

Never mind that the fragment is a Coptic work (which means it is not an original source of information about Jesus), is supposedly from the 4th Century (which means it was written or translated hundreds of years after the New Testament's eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life), and that it has no provenance (which means it cannot be authenticated as a reliable historical document), people all over the world are already pointing to it as proving or disproving their views of Jesus -- views which are based on any of number of sources, from what the church has taught them to what they've consumed as entertainment.  Every source, it seems, expect for reading and studying the Bible.

It's disheartening to realize that many people have spent more time reading articles, watching reports, and listening to interviews about this fragment than they have read, studied, or listened to the Bible.  With the most accurate, best authenticated, and verified authoritative accounts of the life, teachings, and works of Jesus completely accessible and available, why do people insist on ignoring the rich feast of the Bible and chasing after the scraps that occasionally rise up from the waste heaps of secular history?

Long known by any credible scholar, theologian, or pastor, the plethora of extra-biblical writings that capture so many people's attention today were originated as attempts to draw people away from the Bible and into false teachings that rob them of the hope, joy, and peace of Jesus.  How is it that these thoroughly debunked writings have proven to be so effective in carrying out their intended purpose in our culture? Simply stated, when it comes to the Bible we are as a people ignorant and illiterate.

Unfortunately, our biblical ignorance and illiteracy is as much a problem among confessing Christians as it is in our culture.  This is evident when things like this Coptic fragment surface and by the way that Christians respond to them.  Some attack the news defensively, as though their own faith is on the line.  Some make simplistic assertions about relying on the Bible even though it's evident that they are not sure how the Bible speaks to the issue at hand.  Some - a seemingly increasing number - are just as intrigued and swayed by the "discovery" as non-Christians are.  Few speak to the issue as informed defenders of the Bible.

The advent of this Coptic fragment is a wake up call for Christians who have neglected God's Word.  The desperate need for a reliable foundation of truth in our postmodern world calls for us to be well versed in, equipped by, and articulate with the Bible.  After all, if we can't speak to the predicable and well-worn issues raised by this fragment, how will we be able to answer the greater needs of those who are perishing because all they know of Christ is the latest sensational counterargument enjoying its fifteen minutes in our culture's limelight?