Perspective

Mama Sue and I went to see "Vantage Point" today. The movie was released today and is a real action thriller. They used an unusual and interesting way to tell the story. There is an attempted assassination of the President of the U.S. at a world conference. The story is told and retold from the viewpoint or perspective of 4-5 different people. Dennis Quaid was the star and the hero.

I was reminded of the story of the Bible which I am focused on right now as I teach a class called Bible 101, an overview of the entire Scripture. In preparation for Sunday, I have been thinking about the metanarrative or comprehensive explanation of the historical story of our Bible. As Christians, we believe that the Books of Moses constitute a primary history of mankind as a whole. The story progresses from the Pentateuch according to a universal principle: the history of mankind is governed by Yawyeh, and that His will is manifest in every event that takes place. The destiny of all mankind, according to this principle, is governed by man's relationship with God.

The structure of the Bible is much like Vantage Point in that the story is told and retold from a variety of viewpoints and perspectives. In the movie, the viewer learns a little more detail about the circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt. As one reads the Bible, you learn more and more of the story -- progressive revelation, we call it.

In the movie as well as in the story of the Bible, there are undisputable facts. In the movie, you can see them. In the Bible, we believe them by sheer faith. And they are just as real and relevant to the story and how it gets played out in our lives.

You have a different view?