If you are visiting this blog for the first time, or dont know me…this post may seem strange, or a bit weird…or you may think I am ‘one of those’…..but here goes.
Since when did the Bible stop being the foundation of our faith?
Since when did we start interpreting the bible as ‘just a bunch of stories’ with no practical instruction and even ‘shudder’ commands?
Since when did the Bible stop being a prescriptive document?
Is it because post modernism is pushing us too far the other way? Maybe, yet I have never resonated with modernism. Logical and rational arguments for proving God will only get us so far, we need faith. Someone wise mentioned to me the other day that we often interpret spiritual principles through a Greek mindset, to the detriment of the Hebrew one. I agree entirely with that.
Truth is that we need to understand that the Bible is true in all it affirms. And it affirms some very basic things about God, and His plan for our life.
If someone is not a Christian, thats one thing. But if someone says they are a Christian, and a church leader….then lets agree that the Bible is the place we turn to for truth, absolutes and what is sinful and against Gods nature. There is plenty of things I dont understand about God, His principles and why He operates the way He does. But I still surrender to what is clear from the scriptures, even if it sometimes grates against my culturally sensitive, post modernist mind.
Mark – I appreciate your frustration and concern. It must seem like an assault on your calling’s foundations when fellow travelers, supposedly with the same sense of call and responsibility, start to question some of the “untouchables”, like the clear truth of the Bible.
This is one of the reasons I am thankful that I no longer hold the official position of pastor and preacher. I am now able to ask questions safely, without fear for my job, my reputation, my responsibility.
This is not meant to sound selfish, but the reality is – whether a person voices their questions and confusions or not doesn’t change their existence within the mind and heart of the individual. And some things just aren’t allowed to be thought and wondered by those who hold certain official positions.
Now I can freely ask God and those around me what I wonder, without fear of rejection or retribution. I don’t have to know what the Bible “really” means. I can now join the rest of humanity in groaning for answers to questions the Bible doesn’t seem to reveal.
And the beauty of all this – what I think I know never has, nor never will, actually affect what is eternally True.
This is not meant to represent everyone’s journey in the faith, but I am thankful for the grace of God that continues to sustain me, and his Spirit that continues to counsel and shape me.
peace to you as we walk the road together. matt
Agreeing here Mark. It hit me like a ton of bricks last night reading James, that when the apostle tells them : 13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. James 3:13 (NLT)
He was talking to people who had no written copies of the Word, and were thoroughly Jewish. But they were to take what they had learned from Christ’s example and live it. We have the Scriptures and an abundance of helps, and do precious little in connecting beliefs learner to practice.
We can bridge the modernist postmodern gap the old fashioned way – live it out and be ready to give an answer with respect when asked.
I appreciate your thoughts….
Matt….mmmmmmm 🙂
I agree … now, thing is ..
how do we interpret it? My guess is through our own faith lens and life experience ….
“Where we stand determines what we see.”
I think one of the huge problems we have is that we have a lot of “theories” about biblical inspiration that are a long way from what the bible claims for itself. We have a “digital” view of truth – that comes straight out of the enlightenment, and we expect the bible to conform to our view of truth – and be inspired in the way we expect it to be inspired – despite the evidence otherwise (just look closely at the gospel accounts and the differences between the synoptics for example).
The bible is far more “story” based and comes from a first century setting – forget about digital truth – stories just aren’t “true” in the same way that maths and physics are – and yet we persist in trying to “prove” things in the bible like they were equations.
No, you aren’t meant to have certainty. But you can have confidence. Once we try for certainty we have left the “faith” arena. But, “confidence” now, that sounds more like it. I have to “trust.” It’s about relationships. All of this is notoriously difficult to define and measure. But, it’s fun. And it’s rewarding.
Looking at the bible is as much about the questions we bring as about the answers we get.
How sad if the God of truth and his word, which is believed by many to be true, becomes a tool to prevent people exploring truth.
Good post Mark