--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People want black-and-white answers, but…" description: "\"“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky. Our sacred book is not an indexed answer book or life manual; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg" --- # People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is… ![“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky. Our sacred book is not an indexed answer book or life manual; it is also a grand story, mystery, invitation, truth and wisdom, and a passionate love letter.” quote by Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg) > ““People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky. Our sacred book is not an indexed answer book or life manual; it is also a grand story, mystery, invitation, truth and wisdom, and a passionate love letter.”” [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scripture offers complex, multifaceted guidance rather than simple, binary answers, inviting readers into a deeper, loving relationship with truth. **In simple terms:** Scripture is a rich, loving story, not a simple manual. Key Takeaway Embrace the mystery and love in sacred texts. Themes faith interpretation love complexity Mood reflective hopeful inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - personal study - preaching - interfaith dialogue - spiritual counseling Key Concepts theology spirituality literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate uncertainty in faith? - What does “rainbow” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective It can be challenging to reconcile ambiguous teachings with practical decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers-scripture-4088355/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love letter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-letter/) [Passionate love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate-love/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sacred Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-book-551840/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Scripture Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture-rainbow-4088354/) [Sky Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky-sacred-2136174/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [The song and the drumming were like this: Behold, a sacred voice is calling you; All over the sky a sacred voice is calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/the-song-and-the-drumming-were-like-this-behold-a-sacred-voice-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [All over the sky a sacred voice is calling your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/all-over-the-sky-a-sacred-voice-is-calling-your-name/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [The Sacred isn't housed in a building or worn around your neck or something in the sky. The Sacred is the here and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaune-quick-to-see-smith/the-sacred-isn-t-housed-in-a-building-or-worn-around-your-neck-or/) [Jaune Quick–to–See Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaune-quick-to-see-smith/) > [A wise man poor Is like a sacred book that's never read, - To himself he lives, and to all else seems dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dekker/a-wise-man-poor-is-like-a-sacred-book-that-s-never-read-to-himself-he/) [Thomas Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dekker/) > [“This is an organic religion. A religion of the people from heart to heart; a faith that finds the presence of the Divine within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arin-murphy-hiscock/this-is-an-organic-religion-a-religion-of-the-people-from-heart-to/) [Arin Murphy-Hiscock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arin-murphy-hiscock/) > [Every sacred book, successively, has been accepted in the faith that it was to be the final resting-place of the sojourning soul;but after all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/every-sacred-book-successively-has-been-accepted-in-the-faith-that-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The Holy Bible is sacred book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-holy-bible-is-sacred-book/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Holy Bible is a sacred book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/holy-bible-is-a-sacred-book/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [If you take out of your statutes, your constitution, your family life all that is taken from the Sacred Book, what would there be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-harrison/if-you-take-out-of-your-statutes-your-constitution-your-family-life/) [Benjamin Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-harrison/) > [As Commander-in-Chief, I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the Armed Forces of the United States.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/as-commander-in-chief-i-take-pleasure-in-commending-the-reading-of/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [ \[Why\] should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fisher-ames/why-should-not-the-bible-regain-the-place-it-once-held-as-a-school/) [Fisher Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fisher-ames/) > [There's nothing sacred about the book you've written. The Bible says there's safety in a multitude of counselors. The movie is the movie, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/there-s-nothing-sacred-about-the-book-you-ve-written-the-bible-says/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [No nation is better than its sacred book. In that book are expressed its highest ideals of life, and no nation rises above those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/no-nation-is-better-than-its-sacred-book-in-that-book-are-expressed/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) > [Would you say that any one sacred book is superior to all others in the world? ... I say the New Testament, after that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/would-you-say-that-any-one-sacred-book-is-superior-to-all-others-in/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) ## More by Sarah Bessey > [“When Jesus finished teaching in a synagogue one day, a woman called out from the audience, 'God bless your mother—the womb from which you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/when-jesus-finished-teaching-in-a-synagogue-one-day-a-woman-called/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“...here is, very simply, what I learned about Jesus and the ladies: he loves us. He loves us. On our own terms. He treats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/here-is-very-simply-what-i-learned-about-jesus-and-the-ladies-he/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“I want to be outside with the misfits, with the rebels, the dreamers, second-chance givers, the radical grace lavishers, the ones with arms wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/i-want-to-be-outside-with-the-misfits-with-the-rebels-the-dreamers/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“God has a global dream for his daughters and his sons, and it is bigger than our narrow interpretations or small box constructions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/god-has-a-global-dream-for-his-daughters-and-his-sons-and-it-is/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“I won't desecrate beauty with cynicism anymore. I won't confuse critical thinking with a critical spirit, and I will practice, painfully, over and over,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/i-won-t-desecrate-beauty-with-cynicism-anymore-i-won-t-confuse/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/perhaps-it-is-no-wonder-that-the-women-were-first-at-the-cradle-and/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“We reject the lies of inequality, we affirm the Spirit, we forgive radically, we advocate for love and demonstrate it by folding laundry, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/we-reject-the-lies-of-inequality-we-affirm-the-spirit-we-forgive/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“Our faith is often embodied in the relationships and neighborhoods where we live. In our world of globalization, technology, and mobility, we've misplaced the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/our-faith-is-often-embodied-in-the-relationships-and-neighborhoods/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“The night that our friend's wife died, my brokenhearted husband called his mother: "What do I say?"... There is nothing to say. Stop thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/the-night-that-our-friend-s-wife-died-my-brokenhearted-husband-called/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“Miracles sometimes look like a kapow! lightning-strike revelation; and sometimes miracles look like showing up for your counseling appointments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/miracles-sometimes-look-like-a-kapow-lightning-strike-revelation-and/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“We pit our pain against God, holding tally and requiring meaning, instead of saying the truth: This isn't God's will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/we-pit-our-pain-against-god-holding-tally-and-requiring-meaning/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“Sometimes, yes, we do speak to a mountain and it will lift up and be cast into the sea. But I've also learned over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/sometimes-yes-we-do-speak-to-a-mountain-and-it-will-lift-up-and-be/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“I know now that the Spirit is trying to birth something in my life when I find myself craving silence and darkness, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/i-know-now-that-the-spirit-is-trying-to-birth-something-in-my-life/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [“Whether we admit it or not, as people of faith, we sift our theology through Scripture, Church history and tradition, our reason, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/whether-we-admit-it-or-not-as-people-of-faith-we-sift-our-theology/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) [Explore all 61 Sarah Bessey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky. Our sacred book is not an indexed answer book or life manual; it is also a grand story, mystery, invitation, truth and wisdom, and a passionate love letter.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Bessey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b9/sarah-bessey-11185_books_people-want-black-and-white-answers-but_2286048.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture is rainbow arch across a stormy sky. Our sacred book is…” — Sarah Bessey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sarah Bessey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“People want black-and-white answers, but Scripture...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/people-want-black-and-white-answers-but-scripture-is-rainbow-arch-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```