Perhaps concern for the poor and oppressed is the least controversial among the issues we have considered. Individuals and nations often respond immediately to persons suffering as the result of natural disasters and regularly to oppressed people in some parts of the world. Yet, there is so much suffering and need in today's world, despite scientific advances, knowledge, and wealth unimaginable in biblical times. The devastation of wars, the negative consequences of greed, exploitation, and immorality, the human suffering caused by disease that could be prevented or cured, social and economic injustice, religious persecution, and a seemingly endless list of social issues remain a blight on our global landscape.

In striving for insightful understanding about what “the Bible says,” it seems most important to remember what the Bible is and how it originated. As a collection of writings that were generated over many centuries, it has become a sacred book that provides both inspiration and moral teachings for Jews and Christians. However, when studying the contexts of biblical passages and the meanings that were undoubtedly intended by biblical authors, it becomes clear that much is unclear.

There are innumerable contradictions and discrepancies, often due to different sources and different motives behind the writings. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to say, with certainty, what the prophets of the OT might have said, or what actually happened with the Patriarchs or if they even existed, or what Jesus really said and did.