One of my most favorite sayings when I don't understand something comes from the Dr. Scholls' commercials; "I'm so not gellin'." Chapter 2 of Velvet Elvis deals with yet more questions. One of the most profound is, "With God being so massive and awe-inspiring and full of truth, why is His book capable of so much confusion(p. 45)?" Why can't this book that is supposed to teach us and guide us not be simply black and white? Why must there be so many gray areas? Why is God purposely vague in some of these manuscripts?
Scripture has been used, bent, and manipulated in extreme ways to fit another's personal agenda and not God's ultimate plan. Nazis, cult leaders, televangelists, and racists, for example.
This is why we must learn.
This is why we must study.
This is why we must question.
If we don't, we open our hearts and minds to something that claims to be genuine and later proves itself to be false. There are far too many people in the U.S. that claim to be Christians yet our country is in moral decline. Here are some statistics from the Barna Research Group. You can check it out for yourself at www.barna.org.
Faith Groups
- 8% of US adults classify as evangelicals. (2007)
- 35% of US adults classify as born again, but not evangelical. (2007)
- Atheists and agnostics comprise 10% of adults nationwide. (2007)
- 7% of the US population identify with a faith other than Christianity (2007)
- 69% believe in God when described as the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today. (2007)
- 8% believe that God is the total realization of personal human potential. (2007)
Now don't get a warm and fuzzy feeling because there are so many 'believers'. See below.
Social Issues
- One third of born again adults (33%) say that abortion is a morally acceptable behavior, compared with 45% of all adults, 4% of evangelicals, and 71% of atheists and agnostics. (2004)
- 30% of all adults consider having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex a morally acceptable behavior. (2004)
- 14% of Elders, 32% of Boomers, 41% of Busters and 40% of Mosaics consider having a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex a morally acceptable behavior. (2004)
These are Christians? Have they even handled a Bible let alone read it?
Look, if you want to do those things, that's your business. I may not agree with it, but that's my opinion [for whatever it's worth]. I've chosen my path just as you have chosen yours. But these folks that make the claim to be Christians (Christ-followers) are not even following His rules; His instruction. You're either a follower (one that follows the teachings and lifestyle) of Christ or you're not. There's no in-between. If you believe there is, you're only fooling yourself.
Nobody can read a book objectively, not even the Bible. We all have baggage based on our upbringing, experiences, and culture. When we read something, we are carrying all of these thoughts, memories, and quirks that make us unique and come up with our own interpretation of what we read. "The idea that everybody else approaches the Bible with baggage and agendas and lenses and I don't is the ultimate in arrogance. To think that I can just read the Bible without reading any of my own culture or background or issues into it and come out with a "pure" or "exact" meaning is not only untrue, but it leads to a very destructive reading of the Bible that robs it of its life and energy(p. 54)."
Nothing is ever learned until it is put into action. For example, if you read a manual on how to build something, how would you know if you learned anything until you built it? You build that 'thing' based on your interpretation of what the text (instruction) is telling you. There may be many fundamentals that cannot be overlooked, but you can customize it to your own liking. You interpret it. The same applies to Scripture. The "Bible is open-ended; it has to be interpreted. And if it isn't interpreted, then it can't be put into action. So if we are serious about following God, then we have to interpret the Bible. It is not possible to simply do what the Bible says. We must first make decisions about what it means at this time, in this place, for these people(p. 46)." The proper way of interpreting the Bible is called hermeneutics. Hermeneutics, defined, is the art and science of of biblical interpretation. The interpretation is based on the literal, historical, and grammatical context of the passage. Any Bible that is translated from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek is simply a translator's interpretation of what he or she believes the original manuscript is saying. Even our Bible is an interpretation. If you want to know truth, you have to seek it out by way of study and research. If you want to be 'spoon-fed', how would you know if what you're getting is genuine without questioning it? This is especially true of the Internet. It is a double-edged sword of fact as well as fiction so be aware.
So if you're willing to wrestle, argue, and question, "the Bible [will meet you where you are]. That is what truth does(p.64).
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3 comments:
The questions allow us to continue to be in awe of how big God really is. Think about it. Are we, as people, a "wall of bricks?" (pg. 26)
No, we are complex creatures with so many gray areas and so much depth that it's so difficult for us even to examine our own selves. There are so many nooks and crannies. So, to question God, or, more specifically, the Bible, I think we're still just trying to get to know Him, and all his nooks and crannies. Which, of course, we never will. "The mystery is the truth." (pg. 33)
Another aspect to the wall of bricks that I am personally facing right now: "...one of the things that happens in the brick world: you spend a lot of time talking about how right you are. Which of course leads to how wrong everybody else is." (pg.27)
Outside of the ten commandments, which is pretty straightforward... what else is really black and white?? Its all up for interpretation, which is one of the things Rob Bell points out so nicely in Velvet Elvis, and which goes against every ouce of teaching from organized Christian religion.
I just thought of something I didn't address: If the Bible is up for interpretation, what is it about David Koreshes and Warren Jeffs that makes their "interpretations" so wrong?
My answer: because their "interpretations" fundamentally go against the basic ten commandments. Whether it's "thou shalt not kill," or steal or whatever. We as humans are ingrained with a sense of wrong or right, and when it comes to cases like that, we can know when something doesn't add up to the truth.
Well, not only do they go against the Commandments, but the ones that are manipulated refuse to question those in leadership-type positions. Society is "seeking". They know deep down that there must be something more so they search for it. When they find an individual or individuals that tell them what they want to hear and not question it, they then make themselves vulnerable and openly available to manipulation by a perverse rendering of Scripture.
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