Consider the Bible

Ministry to Double Reed Musicians

There is no more influential book in the history of the world than the Bible. Consider these facts:

• The Bible is the most published book in the world.
• The Bible is the most translated book in the world.
• More music is written using text from the Bible than any other book.
• More art is inspired from the Bible than any other book.
• The Bible has influenced world history more than any other book.

In short, as a musician or an educated person if you have not read the Bible or are not familiar with its contents you have a huge deficiency in your education. If for no other reason than to complete your education, you need to read this book. Not reading the Bible is a bit like studying the Baroque period without considering J. S. Bach. By the way, Bach was an avid reader of the Bible.

We suggest you start with the Gospel of John, if you have not read the Bible before. There are several websites with Bible translations available. Here are two links on different websites to the 1st chapter in John: 1st link & 2nd link. We recommend a modern translation of the Bible in English such as the New King James Version or the New International Version.

But there are more than just educational reasons for reading the Bible. It is not just the historical accuracy of the Bible, the history contained in it, or the accounts of God's work with people that has attracted people to the Bible. Millions of people have found that reading and studying the Bible changes their life for the better.

Many have made attempts to destroy and disprove the Bible. Consider these:

• In A.D. 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict to stop Christians from worshipping and to destroy their scriptures. Twenty-five years later his successor, Constantine , issued another edict ordering 50 Bibles to be published at government expense.
• In the 1700’s the atheist French writer Voltaire said, “within 100 years, the Bible and Christianity will be swept out of existence, and pass into history.” Well, within 50 years, Voltaire was swept out of existence and passed into history, and the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire’s house and printing press to print and distribute thousands of Bibles.
• General Lew Wallace was a Territorial Governor following the days of the U.S. Civil War. He had been a Senator in Indiana at the age of 29 and was considered a very scholarly man. He had no confidence in Christianity or the Bible, so he set out to write a skeptical book to disprove both. In his study he instead found the Bbile and Christ to be true, and became himself a devout Christian. General Wallace never wrote his book against the Bible. He wrote instead the classic Christian novel Ben Hur.
• William Ramsey, the English scholar went to Asia Minor with the expressed purpose of proving the Bible was historically inaccurate. As he painstakingly poured over the ancient artifacts and details, to his amazement he found that the Bible was accurate down to the tiniest detail. The evidence was so convincing that Sir Ramsey himself became a Christian and a great Biblical scholar.

You will need to decide for yourself. We encourage you to take an honest look at this remarkable book.

These books will be helpful if you are interested in learning more about the Bible. 

• Josh McDowell, The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict (Thomas Nelson Publishers). ISBN 0785242198. Josh McDowell started as a skeptic of the Bible and now is one of its leading advocates.
• J. P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity (Grand Rapis: Baker Book House, 1987). ISBN 0-8010-6222-5. Especially read Chapter 5, "Historicity of the New Testament."

(c) 2009 by Terry B. Ewell