When truth becomes absurd
When is truth, not the truth? And if truth isn't always true, then how do you decide what to do in any given situation?
Lot's of people approach the Bible like it's a rule book. It's not. It's the story of people living in relationship to God. It's God's story. And reducing it to a set of rules or a "playbook" as some call it just misses the point and dismisses the need to listen to the Holy Spirit and DISCERN God's will.
Ray Anderson in his book The Soul of Ministry tells a great story that should be a caution to anyone approaching the Bible as a rule book.
He once participated in a debate over the issue of divorce and remarriage.
Anderson concludes at the end of the chapter that "when the effect of a truth extracted from the Word of God contradicts the effect of the Word, then it becomes absurd."
I think this is right. And that's why, as Christians, we can't get out of the obligation to do the hard work of praying and listening to God's Spirit as we study the scriptures and seek to discern what God would have us do next.
What do you think?
Lot's of people approach the Bible like it's a rule book. It's not. It's the story of people living in relationship to God. It's God's story. And reducing it to a set of rules or a "playbook" as some call it just misses the point and dismisses the need to listen to the Holy Spirit and DISCERN God's will.
Ray Anderson in his book The Soul of Ministry tells a great story that should be a caution to anyone approaching the Bible as a rule book.
He once participated in a debate over the issue of divorce and remarriage.
My counterpart ...argued his position strongly. It as absolutely impossible to permit the remarriage of a divorced person on the grounds that Jesus forbid it by his teaching. Even the so-called exception clause in Matthew 19:9 - "except for unchastity" - he argued was a later addition....
My argument that the actions of Jesus were as authoritative as his teaching did not cause him to waver. Finally a student raised his hand and asked: "Professor, you say that the sin of divorce, while it can be forgiven, allows for no remarriage; is that correct?" The answer was yes. "Then is it not also true that in the case of the death of one's spouse the surviving spouse could remarry, as that would not violate the teaching of Jesus?" Again, the response was affirmative. ...
"Then what about this," the student asked, "in Bakersfield there was a pastor who became angry with his wife and shot and killed her. When he gets out of prison, is he now free to remarry, seeing that instead of divorcing his wife he killed her?"
... the professor, consistent with his formal logic to the end, had to admit that, "yes, this man could remarry!" The laughter of the students over the absurdity of this case reduced his argument to folly....
Anderson concludes at the end of the chapter that "when the effect of a truth extracted from the Word of God contradicts the effect of the Word, then it becomes absurd."
I think this is right. And that's why, as Christians, we can't get out of the obligation to do the hard work of praying and listening to God's Spirit as we study the scriptures and seek to discern what God would have us do next.
What do you think?
