Fairy tales. 

We all love them — tales of magic beans, enchanted roses, and frog princes asking for a kiss. But have you ever heard someone compare the Bible to a fairy tale? I have. Once I was playing a drawing game with a guy from Norway. After sketching a picture of a Bible, he scrawled underneath, “A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES.” When I messaged him that I was a preacher, he dropped me like a greased bowling ball.

Yes, the Bible tells some pretty fantastic stories. But it also contains reliable history, practical advice for daily living, wisdom for relationships, and inspiration that has resonated across time and cultures. Let’s go on a journey to explore why the Bible is more trustworthy than tales about glass slippers and shoemaking elves.

Many Authors, One Story

Fairy tales are usually the work of a single author (or maybe a tired parent spinning yarns to get their youngsters to fall asleep). The Bible? It’s the ultimate collaborative project: approximately 40 different authors, writing over 1,500 years, in three languages, across three continents. Yet the overarching theme of the Bible is remarkably consistent: one God working through one nation to bring one Messiah to the entire world. 

That kind of continuity doesn’t happen by accident — or in fairy tales.

A Verified Historical Record

Cinderella’s Castle and Neverland are charming, but you won’t find them on a map. The Bible? Its stories are set in actual places like Jerusalem, Babylon, Ephesus, and Rome. Time and again, archaeologists have uncovered evidence that backs up the people, places, and events described in the Bible. King David’s palace? Check. The Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man? Double-check. The historicity of Pilate, the governor of Judea who washed his hands of Jesus? Yep — proven. The Bible is grounded in history, not fantasy.

Manuscript Evidence Galore

There are about 1800 surviving manuscripts of Homer’s Iliad, the epic tale of gods, goddesses, magical shields, and superhuman heroes. Most of the complete documents date from the medieval era, thousands of years after Homer composed the poem. Compare: the New Testament alone has over 5,800 Greek manuscripts, some dating back to within decades of the original events. That’s the kind of evidence most ancient works only dream of.

The Ring of Truth

Fairy tales follow a predictable pattern: the hero wins, everyone lives happily ever after, and it’s bedtime. The Bible? It’s messy, with flawed heroes, unvarnished truths, and blatant honesty about human nature. If someone were making up an entertaining story, you’d expect a little more fun and flair. Scholars call this the “criterion of embarrassment”, meaning that the original authors, if trying to glorify or glamorize the protagonists, would have omitted elements casting them in a bad light. Instead, we read about David’s colossal moral failures and Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus. The Bible doesn’t read like a fairy tale because it isn’t one.

Hammer Time!

While fairy tales entertain, enchant, and occasionally provide moral lessons, the Bible has wielded a transformative power unmatched by any other story in history. For centuries, the Bible has shaped cultures, influenced law codes, inspired masterpieces of art, and provided comfort in times of crisis. Its teachings have fueled movements for equity, such as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, and have offered hope and purpose to billions around the world. The Bible is not just a storybook — it’s a divine hammer that has broken down walls of oppression and injustice.

Snow White and her seven dwarves may have cleaned a cottage, but they never changed the world.

Fairy Tale — Or the Inspired Story of all stories?

Of the Biblical text, the great Oxford professor C.S. Lewis wrote, “I have been reading poems, romances, vision literature, legends, myths all my life. I know what they are like. I know that not one of them is like this” (Christian Reflections).

So, is the Bible just a collection of fairy tales? Only if you believe that fantastical bedtime stories are anchored in real history, backed by thousands of ancient manuscripts, and present a unified narrative written by multiple authors over 15 1/2 centuries. Then again, fairy tales aren’t known for shaping entire societies and transforming the course of history. The Bible is.