jazzact13,

As in other conversations here, I think you create a false dichotomy (probably by listening to the poor logic of CS Lewis) when you suggest that the bible is either historically factual OR it is “untrue”. The Bible can be (and in my opinion is) both historically non-factual AND true. That is easy to understand once you move past the idea that “true” can only mean “factual”. The poetic storytelling in the bible is always true even though it is rarely factual in its details.

Also I feel you’ve made a similar mistake when you interpret that faith is the same as belief as you state:

“We are not saved by works, but by faith, and if the object of that faith is unreliable, then how certain is our salvation?”

It is important to know that the text doesn’t say “saved by belief”. Faith is an action word where belief is a mental certainty. So the meaning of “salvation by faith” as superior to “salvation by works” actually means that we are saved by our faithful participation in Christ’s mission and steadfast support of his purposes NOT meaningless works apart from that mission. You’ve misenterpreted this to mean that we are saved by our “correct belief in what/who Jesus is” and I feel that is absolutely wrong.