On Responsible Christianity: Part 1

I have been thinking a lot lately on the concept of what I call "responsible Christianity." What does that mean? What does it mean to me? Or you? Or Bob?
I can only answer the question of what it means to me.

Part 1: Know your History and the History of your Religion
There is a lot of talk about the infallibility of the bible. That it is the original and true Word of God, as set down  thousands of years ago. We now know this to simply not be true. We know that the Old Testament is a compilation of stories, histories, and legends, and mythologies, handed down by word of mouth by the Hebrew people for centuries upon centuries before finally being collected and compiled into its present form. Mind you, a great deal of care was taken in the early centuries of the Common Era to ensure that the existing texts were copied accurately, but careful examination of surviving historic texts show countless errors in copy, translation, and interpretation.
Now, this is not to say that the Old Testament is not worthy of being considered important or even Sacred scripture. It is an excellent account of the moral and sociological history of the Hebrews/Israelites. It encompasses the traditions of the people and their relationship with God, and is their ultimate handbook for good living.
But it would be irresponsible to say that the OT as we have it is as it has always been and shall always be. Just look at the differences in the English translations that we have. The King James Version, the Standard Revised Version, the International Version, the Standard English Version, and the list goes on and on, etc., ad nauseum... So if the Word is the Final Word on the subject, which version of The Word is it?
(There is also the issue of the number of books and sties that were ultimately left out of the canon, but we will save that for a different post.)
The MESSAGE of the book is what is enduring. But even that is open to interpretation. Do you interpret the text literally, or do you read the metaphor behind the message? Or both? Do you take The Word at face value, regardless of archeological support or explanation, or do you look at the physical evidence and find the balance between the two.
The Book is a Good Book. But it is a work of Man, inspired by God. But a work of Man none the less.
These are the kinds of things that I look at when I consider the idea of Practicing Responsible Christianity.