Thank you for staying respectful! I’ve opened that video, but at 2.5 hours, even at high speed that’s a challenge. If I love it, then I’ll watch it all. I’m writing this reply before having watched any of it, though.
Are you familiar with the Karaite Jews? They reject the Midrash and the Talmud, standing in stark contrast to Rabbinic Judaism, and taking an approach close to Jesus’s values (though they’d probably never admit that). They actually read scripture, and strive to interpret it intelligently.
I do agree with you in principle that it’s good to do that, and I know Jesus does too. That doesn’t mean established beliefs are wrong, necessarily, but it’s always good to consider that they might be. You can certainly find historical and contemporary examples where self-professed Christians didn’t / don’t follow the Bible.
With all of that said, while I am somewhat open-minded, I do accept the holy Bible as the word of God, and I believe all extra-biblical historical documents, like the Apocrypha, only serve to reinforce its truth. What precisely that truth means, in detail, we may argue about, and Lord knows many do.
And in any case, this is all about SBC more than myself. Their interpretation of scripture is fairly literal and straight-forward. So while obviously some disagree with them, they can hardly be blamed for being a Christian group who follows the Bible.
If you were raised Christian, you should know how much God loves human faith. He would never do anything to deprive us of the challenge of faith, because He knows how healthy it is for us to live on faith. Everything He directs us to do is for our own good. Revealing himself would deny us that opportunity. There will be a second coming, but by then it’ll be too late.
You know where to find us when you’re ready. Wishing you all the best.