When a Priest Called the Bible “Folklore”

When a Priest Called the Bible “Folklore”

By Robert Rousseau
Candlefish Ministries John 1:5

Beloved friend,

Years ago I sat listening to a priest, expecting to hear a strong affirmation of the authority and trustworthiness of God’s Word. Instead, he casually described the Bible as little more than Hebrew folklore and mythology.

I remember freezing in my seat, thinking:

“Did he really just say that?”

Those words hit me with a force I did not expect.

They still do.

Now, please understand: Scripture does contain rich literary forms—poetry, parables, symbolism, and apocalyptic imagery. The Bible is a masterpiece of divine literature. The problem was not the recognition of those forms.

The problem was the spirit behind the statement.

It treated the Bible less as God’s living revelation and more as a collection of ancient religious stories that must be reinterpreted to fit our times.

At first I assumed this priest had simply wandered far from the teaching of his own church. But after years of studying theology, prophecy, and the history of biblical interpretation—shaped by the careful scholarship I received at Biola University and Talbot School of Theology—I have come to see that the issue often runs deeper.

The issue is hermeneutics.

The way we approach Scripture determines what we see when we open its pages.

The Heart of the Matter: How We Interpret Scripture

How you interpret the Bible ultimately determines what kind of Bible you end up with.

We who hold to a consistent dispensational, premillennial, pre-tribulational view believe in a literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of Scripture. We take the text in its plain sense unless there is a clear reason within the text itself to do otherwise.

A few examples illustrate why this matters:

• If Adam is not a real historical man, Paul’s teaching on sin and redemption in Romans 5 loses its foundation.

• If Jonah is only a moral fable, Jesus’ comparison between Jonah’s experience and His own resurrection is weakened (Matthew 12:39-40).

• If Israel becomes merely a symbol of the Church, God’s covenant promises to Israel are no longer understood as future realities (Genesis 12:1-3; Jeremiah 31:31-37).

These are not minor differences.

They shape how we understand God’s redemptive plan.

For this reason, dispensational theology maintains a distinction between Israel and the Church and expects God’s promises concerning Israel, Christ’s kingdom, and His return to be fulfilled as Scripture describes.

The Safest Ground Is Still the Bare Text

I am not writing this to attack Catholics.

Many Catholics sincerely love the Lord Jesus and desire to know Him better. I thank God for every true believer in every tradition who has been born again by the Spirit of God.

My concern is with any approach—whatever label it wears—that diminishes confidence in the sufficiency, authority, and clarity of Scripture itself.

Once we surrender the plain meaning of the text, the interpreter begins to stand above the Bible rather than under it.

But the safest ground is still the bare text of God’s Word.

Not because we understand every detail perfectly.

But because God’s Word is far more trustworthy than our theories about it.

As Isaiah declared:

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

— Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV)

Jesus Himself affirmed the unbreakable authority of Scripture:

“The Scripture cannot be broken.”

— John 10:35 (NKJV)

And Paul reminded Timothy:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…”

— 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

This includes the historical narratives, the wisdom literature, the Gospels, the Epistles, and the prophetic portions that speak of Israel’s future, the coming Tribulation, the Blessed Hope of the Church, and the glorious return of Christ.

The Bible is not man’s search for God.

It is God’s revelation of Himself to man.

And when we open its pages, we are not merely reading ancient stories.

We are hearing the voice of the living God.

Practical Discipleship for Today

If you have ever felt uneasy when someone treats the Bible lightly—as myth, folklore, or merely ancient wisdom—take courage.

Return to the text.

Read it for yourself.

Compare Scripture with Scripture, as J. Vernon McGee loved to encourage.

Let the Holy Spirit illumine your heart.

In a world full of shifting opinions, anchor yourself in the unchanging Word of God.

Walk in the Spirit.

Abide in Christ.

Keep looking up.

Our Lord’s return is imminent.

The same Jesus who died for our sins, rose victorious from the grave, and promised to come again will fulfill every word He has spoken.

That Blessed Hope purifies our lives and fuels our witness (1 John 3:2-3).

Memory Verse

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

— Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV)

Gospel Invitation

Dear friend, if you have never experienced the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 3, today is the day.

Religious tradition cannot save.

Good works cannot save.

Church attendance cannot save.

Only faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ can save.

He died on the cross for your sins.

He was buried.

He rose again the third day.

And salvation is offered freely to all who believe.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

— Acts 16:31 (NKJV)

The moment you trust Him alone, the Holy Spirit makes you alive—born again into God’s eternal family.

Keep shining brightly in the darkness, beloved.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5 NKJV).

Soon we will see our King face to face.

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Robert Rousseau