Has the Bible Been Promoted?

“In the beginning was the Word and it was with God and was God. Before an eye had seen or an ear had heard, there was the Word. I know the Bible is God’s Word, His written promises to earth. The Word is Perfect Truth. The Word is what I cling to.”
Lyrics to “The Word” used in Outrigger Island Vacation Bible School material.

Those words sung by hundreds of children, including my eight-year-old daughter, stunned me as I recently sat through a VBS service at a local Baptist church. Has the bible somehow been promoted to the fourth person of the Godhead within Baptist theology? Has LifeWay taken a theological turn that I missed somewhere?

I know that we often call the scriptures, God’s Word, but nowhere in the lyrics of this song, sung throughout SBC churches for VBS this summer, was the mention of Jesus – The Word of God. The use of the John 1 passage that speaks of Jesus, and used in this song, has either reduced Jesus to an “it” or elevated the bible to the divine.

What are we doing? In our attempts to teach our children the trustworthiness of the scriptures in a changing world, it seems that we have overreached. I am mindful of Jesus’ words to the Pharisees who often declared, “He who has the ‘words’ has life.” –

"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want.” John 5:39-40 The Message

My daughter went to VBS with a child-like faith in Jesus loving her (the bible told her so) and returned with a fear of missing out on heaven and wondering if she had done her ABC’s correctly (and quickly, quickly). Thankfully, a little time of ministering to her heart and soul had her eyes back on Jesus and trusting in His embrace.