Quick: what’s your opinion on gender roles? The debt ceiling? Gay marriage? Politics? War? Predestination?
Before you blurt it out–stop.
Just stop.
Think for a moment about the words that are about to leave your mouth. Are they kind? Thoughtful? Honoring to God?
Think about the person who is asking you the question; their background, their needs, their hurts, their dreams. Will your words draw them closer to Christ, or push them further away?
Stop, and ask yourself if your answer makes you feel morally superior, self-congratulatory, or smug. Be honest. If it does, you should rethink your answer. Not because your answer is wrong, necessarily, but because you are probably in no position to speak godly, edifying words.
This morning, I witnessed a “Bible bullet” attack, and it’s still bugging me. You know what “Bible bullets” are, right? Snippets of scripture (often used with disregard to their immediate or larger context) lobbed at a person as if that verse settles the matter for all time, as if that sentence proves that the Bible and God are on the shooter’s side.
I’ve been trying to figure why this bugs me so much (besides the obvious, boorish behavior behind it), and I think I finally put my finger on it. It may look like the Scripture-quoting assailant is trying to get the victim to change their mind, but usually, they’re not. Usually, they’re just trying to get the victim to shut up.
God said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me. Interpretation: disagree with me, and you’re disagreeing with God! Speak only at risk of damnation, thou spiritually-inferior Cretan!
There generally isn’t much conversation about the meaning of the Bible verse being thrown around, about its context, scriptural or current, or what God might have meant by including it in the scope of the Bible. There isn’t generally much discussion at all, because the whole point of shooting Bible bullets is to unleash your shock and awe spirituality on your “spiritually-inferior” enemies, to pound them into dust so your ideas can dominate.
All for the glory of God, of course.
Not.
I should know. I’ve resorted to it at times, and regretted it. Look at the Pharisees. Just because you do the right thing (if it even IS the right thing) doesn’t mean you’re doing it in the right way, with the right motives. And that makes all the difference.
What do you think? How can we get beyond shooting “Bible bullets” at each other, and foster God-honoring conversations in the Christian and secular community?
This is SO right on. Thanks for posting. I reposted.
Thanks Angela!
“Speak only at risk of damnation, thou spiritually-inferior Cretan!” Ha!
And then you follow it up with this: “Just because you do the right thing … doesn’t mean you’re doing it in the right way, with the right motives. ” That’s golden, Jen.
About your questions at the top, though, I find more and more that the way I answer them is to say something like “I think the Bible tells us this about that.” Take predestination, for example. Most days I’m a five point calvinist, but some days I’m down to 4.5 or even 4. When asked why I go with Calvin on this one, all I can say is that I think it’s what makes the most sense out of my understanding of the Bible’s teaching. (Even with this hedged and tentative understanding, many non-calvinists have felt free to let me know I’m spiritually inferior for reaching this conclusion.)
I won’t be at all surprised to get a much better understanding in eternity: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Cor. 13:12.)
Tim
I fall back on 1 Corinthians 13:12 a lot–that, and God’s inherent goodness. I don’t have to understand everything (as much as I try), but I do trust that God will work everything out in the end. That helps a lot!!!
Jenny!
I couldn’t find an email or anything so I’m just posting a comment for you. First, I love your blog. As a blogger, a feminist, a Christian and an activist many of your posts feel right at home for me and still get me thinking. So thank you for that.
On to some of my harder questions. I told a friend of mine recently that I wasn’t sure what I thought about the bible. There are 3 things I know I believe and they are 1. God is Love 2. Jesus is Divine 3. the holy spirit moves through us. But when it comes to the bible I just don’t know what to believe. First of all there are a lot of things that are said about women and most of them (at least in the new testament) I’ve learned the historical context and can now better appreciate them. However, I am a pacifist and believe that God loves us all so most of the killings that happen in the old testament are really hard for me to grasp. Supposedly, God killed off races (like that in Egypt) and, well, did a lot of killing in general. I believe that those who are oppressors are just as oppressed as the oppressed. what are your thoughts on this??
Hi Katie! So glad you’re here!!!
Wow, way to kick it off with the tough questions.
Sounds like your concerns about the Bible pretty much mirror mine–I get the context of what it says about women in the New Testament (and am convinced that Paul was a committed egalitarian trying to get the gospel across in a patriarchal culture), but as an almost-pacifist, I struggle with all the killing in the Old Testament.
I do think the Israelites sometimes did things that were in their national interest that the writers of scripture didn’t condemn them for, even when things weren’t handled the way God would have wanted them to. I think of David’s almost-massacre of Abigail’s family, and how he said she had kept him from sinning–would the writers have called him out on it if he had (I doubt it)? Still, it seems God did order annihilation in some instances, which I have a hard time understanding, even with the caveat of God’s extreme patience with very cruel societies.
I guess the biggest thing that I fall back on when these sorts of things begin to bug me is the person of Jesus. Not only did Jesus die and rise to free us from our sins, he modeled what human beings are supposed to be–that’s why he is called the “second Adam.” Jesus didn’t go around killing people. And I really believe that we are supposed to interpret the whole Bible through the lens of Jesus’ life, death, and ressurection.
On another note, have you read “Blue Parakeet” by Scot McKnight. If not, hie thee to a book store, and quickly! ;-D It’s all about how we read and interpret the Bible, with some great stuff about women thrown in.