In my opinion- which is by no means a universal opinion- studying the Bible only begins with the Bible. It goes far beyond the actual words of the Bible. Without understanding the literary styles used at the time the Bible was written, the lifestyle and daily habits of those living in those times, and the political and sociological circumstances (among many other things), one can easily misunderstand, misinterpret, or misapply the Bible. Another part of Bible study- again, in my opinion- is listening to the opinions of others. It doesn't matter if one agrees or not. One must just listen.

So, today, I invite you to visit the CNN Belief Blog & read the article "My Take: The 3 biggest biblical misconceptions" by John Shelby Spong.  Link is: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/29/my-take-the-3-biggest-biblical-misconceptions/.

The three misconceptions he expands upon are listed below:
1) The Bible accurately reflects history.
2) The Bible is the literal "word of God."
3) The Bible is static and unchanging.

As always, I love my reader's opinions!  Do you believe the above statements are true?  Or misconceptions? 
(And, of course, I would love to hear WHY you think so.)