An article by Victor Balta from Comcast.net/tv/seenontv/4631/pbstakeongodbible/, titled PBS Takes on God, Bible, tells of PBS plans for the fall, to show the film The Bible’s Buried Secrets.

While the full content of the film is not made known, comments by one of the major film consultants, Biblical Archaeologist William Dever is revealing. Balta’s article quotes Dever as saying, It’s a waste of time to argue with fundamentalists, and this film doesn’t do it. It’s designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind…it will give intelligent people who want to read the Bible in a modern way a chance. If we insist on reading the Bible literally, in 25 years nobody will read it any longer.  Carol Meyer, another consultant for the film is quoted as saying that many of the stories in the Bible are just stories and not necessarily records of facts.

Further research on Dever comes from a Ralph K. Hawkins review of Dever’s book, Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?  The full review can be found in the Biblical Theology Bulletin, Inc., copyright, 2003. Hawkins observes, Dever interprets the data as evidence that ancient Israel was made up of disaffected Canaanites who withdrew to the hill country during and following the LB/Iron I transition.

The data in evidence, according to Hawkins, includes Dever’s reviews and surveys of previous archaeological work related to early Israel and Dever’s theory that a continuity of pottery assemblage between the Late Bronze Age and Iron I is “decisive” in his conclusion that Israel originated from the Canaanites. In other words Dever totally ignores/rejects the scriptural record of the lives and experience of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and wants us to believe that the people we know as Israel are not at all the people uniquely called out to be the Lord’s chosen.

Hawkins adds, Overall, Dever’s case for the pottery as the decisive factor for his theory is not compelling, and a number of archaeologists would question its continuity, including Amihai Mazar, Aharon Kempenski, and, at least in his 1988 book, ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE ISRAELITE SETTLEMENT (Jerusalem:Israel Exploration Society, 1988), Israel Finklestein, These writers claim that some pottery from the LB/Iron I transition is “transitional” and some stands “in sharp contrast” to that of the Canaanite centers.

THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE:

Disagreement among the Experts:

Archaeology is hardly a precise science. Evidence uncovered stands ready for interpretation of its meaning and significance. At that point the experts begin to render their views and opinions. As with the case of Israel’s origins the experts can have strong disagreements as to what particular evidence conveys of the past.

Bias and Prejudice:

In his 2003 Internet Article “Contra Davies”, which is quoted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Dever stated, I am not reading the Bible as Scripture…I am in fact not even a theist.

Couple this statement with that quoted earlier from the Balta article that the upcoming film, The Bible’s Buried Secrets, is “designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind.”

To approach anything related to the Bible with such preconceived ideas and prejudice disqualifies Dever’s opinions from serious consideration by Christians or non-believers. The Bible offers itself as the Word of God. For one to approach it denying even the existence of God is absurd. His views eliminate any possibility of objectivity in the interpretation of archaeological evidence.

Past Archaeological Fallacies:

For years archaeologists denied the historical existence of Israel’s greatest king, David, the son of Jesse. In 1993 during a dig in Dan a stone was found written in Aramaic with the inscription House of David. The stone was dated as 9th century BC. An interesting article from US News & World Report – Is the Bible True?, available on Yahoo, details this find and other archaeological information that is helpful.

The existence of the great Hittite nation was denied by archaeologists, even though there are almost 50 biblical references to the Hittite people or individuals noted as being Hittites. In his book, More Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Josh McDowell makes a lengthy presentation on this ancient people in Appendix 4A. He shows that the experts denied the existence of the huge Hittite empire, but now all must acknowledge there history as portrayed in the Bible.

A significant New Testament personage was also denied by archaeologists for many years. The Roman Governor Pontius Pilate condemned Jesus Christ to death on the Cross of Calvary. Some said he never existed. Zondervan’s Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible states in volume 4, pg 791, …in 1961, a stone tablet was discovered at Caesarea, bearing the Latin names Pontius Pilatus and Tiberius, thus affording archaeological proof of Pilate’s historical reality.

These three examples are but a few of many that show the danger of error and oversight when bias archaeologists stand against the Bible before all the information has been gathered.  

Standpoint calls on PBS to reconsider the showing of the film The Bible’s Buried Secrets, because the advance information indicates the film will seek to undermine the integrity of the Bible, as the Word of God.

Standpoint encourages believers to contact PBS and express their concern.

Standpoint has contacted the producers of NOVA and awaits response. YOU can contact NOVA:

By mail – WGBH/NOVA     125 Western Ave.   Boston, MA  02134.

By phone – 617 300 5400

By e-mail – NOVA@wgbh.org

Thank you for standing with us.