RootedFreed Teaching
Our View of the Bible
We do not worship the book. We worship the Planter who inspired it.
The Bible is one of the most powerful collections of stories ever written. It has shaped nations, inspired art, comforted the broken, and pointed millions toward the living God. We love it deeply. But we also read it with open eyes and honest hearts.
The Bible Is Human Testimony, Not Laboratory Proof
The stories we cherish — Adam and Eve in the garden, Noah and the flood, Jonah in the great fish, the miracles of Jesus, the visions of Revelation — are ancient hearsay wisdom passed down through generations. They were written by real people in real cultures trying to make sense of the divine, the mysterious, and the moral.
They are not modern history books or scientific textbooks. Archaeology cannot “prove” a global flood that spared only one family while leaving Aztec, Chinese, and other civilizations untouched. A man living inside a whale for three days stretches the limits of the literal. These are testimonial stories — powerful parables, poems, and memories meant to reveal truth about God and humanity, not to pass a courtroom test of evidence.
God never demanded physical proof. Faith has always been the bridge.
Humans Shaped the Bible — Sometimes for Control
Throughout history, people in power used God-language to control others. Kings sent soldiers to die “for God” instead of for their own ambition. Priests created systems where salvation had a price. Every major religion, including Christianity, has layers of human fences — rules, exclusivity claims (“only our path leads to heaven”), and institutions that grew up around the original message.
The Bible itself shows this pattern. It contains beautiful truth alongside the fingerprints of its human authors and editors. That doesn’t make it worthless — it makes it honest. It is a record of a real relationship between the Creator and imperfect people trying to understand Him.
The Planter Is the True Author
Behind all the human words stands the one true Planter — the Gardener who planted the universe, set the laws of life in motion, and stepped back to let it grow. The Bible is our best collection of stories about that relationship. It points us to the living God even when the stories themselves are shaped by culture and power.
We do not worship the book. We worship the Planter who inspired it.
Jesus Is the Great Pruner and Lens
When human control threatened to choke the garden, the Planter sent Jesus — the decisive intervention. Jesus cut through the fences. He declared the kingdom open to all. He ended the middleman system and said, “Follow me.” He showed us what the Planter is really like: merciful, just, relational, and free.
We read the entire Bible through the lens of Jesus. Where the text seems to contradict His love and freedom, we trust the Pruner more than the fences. The New Testament is not a new law code — it is the announcement that the fences are coming down.
Little-Known Facts About the Bible
These historical notes help explain why we read Scripture with reverence, honesty, humility, and the lens of Jesus.
The Gospels Were Written Decades After Jesus
Most scholars date Mark (the earliest Gospel) to around 65–70 AD, Matthew and Luke to 80–90 AD, and John to 90–100 AD or later. This means they were written 35–70 years after the events they describe, relying on oral tradition passed among early communities rather than direct eyewitness accounts from the start.
The Bible Wasn’t “One Book” Until Centuries Later
The New Testament canon (the official list of books) wasn’t finalized until the 4th century (Councils of Hippo in 393 AD and Carthage in 397 AD). Early Christians used different collections, and debates continued for centuries about which writings to include or exclude.
Ordinary People Weren’t Allowed to Read the Bible for Most of History
For over a thousand years, the Bible was primarily in Latin (the Vulgate). Laypeople were often discouraged or forbidden from reading it in their own language. It wasn’t until the Protestant Reformation and the invention of the printing press (15th–16th centuries) that widespread translation and personal reading became common.
Many Stories Show Signs of Later Editing and Embellishment
The two creation accounts in Genesis (chapters 1 and 2) differ in order and details. The flood story has clear parallels with older Mesopotamian myths (like the Epic of Gilgamesh). Scholars see layers of editing where earlier oral traditions were shaped by the needs of the communities telling them.
The Earliest New Testament Writings Are Paul’s Letters
Paul’s authentic letters (written 50–60 AD) predate the Gospels. They focus more on theology and community issues than on detailed stories of Jesus’ life, showing how the movement developed before the narrative Gospels were written down.
Contradictions and Variations Exist in the Manuscripts
There are thousands of ancient New Testament manuscripts with small differences (scribal errors, intentional changes). The famous ending of Mark (16:9–20) and the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11) are widely regarded by scholars as later additions not present in the earliest copies.
The Bible Was Compiled by Committees and Power Structures
Books were chosen, arranged, and sometimes edited through church councils influenced by theological debates and political realities. Some early writings (like the Gospel of Thomas or Shepherd of Hermas) were popular in some communities but ultimately left out.
“Inerrancy” Is a Relatively Modern Idea
The strict view that the Bible is without error in every historical and scientific detail became especially prominent in the 19th and 20th centuries among certain Protestant groups. Earlier Christians often read the text more figuratively or allegorically.
How We Read the Bible Today
With honesty
We don’t have to defend every story as literal history.
With humility
We admit the human layers and the places where control crept in.
With hope
We look for the living voice of the Planter calling us back to the open garden.
With freedom
No gatekeepers. No fear of asking hard questions. The garden is open.
The Bible is not a weapon or a cage. It is a collection of letters, poems, stories, and testimonies from people who encountered the living God. It still speaks. It still points us home.
Come read it with us — not as a rulebook, but as an invitation from the Planter who planted you, loves you, and wants you free.