Real Live Preacher - Bible

Fighting Over The New Testament

Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:40:28 -0500

I’ve been a part of the Christian Church all of my life. I’ve watched how things work within the faith, and I’ve been particularly fascinated by the ways we Christians use and abuse the New Testament.

The New Testament - the uniquely Christian part of the Bible - is a messy collection of books and letters. No one can be absolutely sure what parts are important and what parts are the cultural containers that hold the important parts. In First Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy to drink wine regularly to help with his stomach problems. It seems unlikely that this should be understood as a universal command for all Christians throughout the centuries. And I’m not aware of any church that treats that passage in such a way.

Not that a glass of wine at night isn’t a splendid idea and something I might like to suggest for some of my more “intense” brothers and sisters.

So from the start, we have a collection of documents that is unclear and can be difficult to interpret and understand. That’s a good thing to know before we go any further.

From what I’ve seen, only very serious Christians take the time to actually read the New Testament for themselves. This collection of sacred writings taxes scholars, so it is certainly a challenge for everyday people. We do the best we can, but no one can understand all of the New Testament. And even those who have read the whole thing will have forgotten most of it by the following Tuesday. The New Testament is too much to hold in your mind.

What most Christians do is read selections of the New Testament, usually in a haphazard manner over a period of years. They pick out the parts that seem important or relevant to them and focus mainly on those selected scriptures. Most people get guidance in this selection process from whatever Christian tradition they follow. Pentecostals from Georgia find some parts of the New Testament particularly compelling. Episcopalians in Boston might focus on other parts.

But we all share this in common: we pick and choose scriptures, cobbling together something we call a theology. The word theology literally means “God words,” and a theology is a series of belief statements about God and Jesus and how Christians ought to live.

Now it is true that a few extraordinary Christians over the years have tried to understand and organize everything in the New Testament. Some have created great, hulking volumes of systematic theology that no normal person could ever read or understand. But trying to create a systematic theology is rather like a physicist trying to come up with a unified theory of everything. It’s a great idea, but so far no one has been able to pull it off in a way that satisfies everyone

If what I’ve written makes you angry, please note that I’m being descriptive. I’m simply describing what I have seen. If you know of a monk-like person who sat on a pillar for 40 years, can quote the entire New Testament from memory, and has now perfectly integrated all of it into his theology and life, then your exception is duly noted. Good for you, and good for your monk friend.

So our little slanted, incomplete, biased, and selective theologies are the best we can do. Given how our theologies are formed, it’s a constant wonder to me that people are surprised and even angered when they meet someone whose ideas about God differ from their own. I’d be more surprised if I met someone who shared my own beliefs, point by point, all the way to the end. Now that would be strange.

Oh, and there is one other thing. There are parts of the New Testament that are just embarrassing and otherwise inconvenient to our modern lives. We just ignore those parts and go on about the business of creating little theological systems that suit us.

That last paragraph is going to get me at least 20 scorching emails. Tut, tut, please settle down. I’m only telling you what I’ve observed. In my experience, people either ignore or conveniently avoid reading parts of the New Testament that are inconvenient for them.

Again, the exception of your monk friend is duly noted.

Now this is important to remember: all that I’ve described so far is what the best and most serious Christians do. Your average Christian might never read the New Testament at all. He or she likely doesn’t even know the names of the 27 writings that comprise our canon of scripture. These people show up at church now and again. They listen to what the minister behind the pulpit is saying and take that as gospel truth without asking any significant questions. Ironically, these are the people who are often the most dogmatic and outspoken about Christianity. Oftentimes it is these people you see waving Bibles around, shouting and screaming about how every blessed word of the Bible sprang straight from the lips of the Almighty.

Anyone who has actually slugged it out with the New Testament, reading it carefully and trying to piece together the truth about God, Jesus, and how we should live, will be so filled with humility and grace that they will probably never yell at anyone about anything, much less the Bible.

Now I’m fine with this whole process. I mean, it’s not like we have a choice. This is the best we can do. So I’ve made my peace with the reality of the situation. And that’s probably why I’m less dogmatic and picky about the details than some.

But what truly amazes me is what happens when two Christians find themselves in a dispute over some doctrinal issue or passage of scripture. Suddenly they forget how messy the New Testament is, how contradictory and convoluted parts of it can be. They forget that their own theology is a product of very selective reading.

Forgetting these things, they run back to their studies in search of verses of scripture that support their position. They pull out books and commentaries; they scan denominational pamphlets or find help online in locating these verses.

Suddenly, single verses are seen to support whole theologies. Some verse from First John now has the power to shore up an entire worldview. Some obscure phrase from Jude is thought to have the final answer on how men and women should relate to each other. And some phrase that Jesus used in a parable now means that people who disagree with you and your ideas about God will roast slowly over an open fire in the pits of hell throughout all of eternity.

These furious exchanges of quotations are like people lobbing mortar shots at each other from trenches. Those involved only get angrier and more entrenched. I guess eventually they get tired and stop. One or perhaps both camps claim victory. No one generally learns anything constructive from these battles.

How do I know so much about this? Because I used to be right in the middle of those fights. In college and seminary, I stood on street corners, arguing and fighting with fundamentalist street preachers. I remember once dragging the Greek New Testament (I had all of one semester of Greek under my belt) down to the street corner to show a sweating, shouting evangelist an aorist verb.

He stared at the Bible for a moment, then looked back at me. Then he shouted, “Your pride will be your downfall, and you will burn forever in the LAKE OF FIIIIIRE!!!!!

I mean, what can you say to that? "Nu-uh!"

So now I’m gently sliding into middle age. I’m tired of fighting over the Bible. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about most fine points of theology. I know a little too much about how the New Testament was formed, and I know a little too much about what’s in there and how hard it is to keep it straight.

I have much simpler questions for people now.

“You reading the New Testament? Trying your best to understand it?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you trying to follow Jesus as a disciple, trying to understand what he said and live the way he did, where possible?”

“Yeah, I’m trying.”

“MY BROTHER!”

rlp

John John

Tue, 01 May 2007 09:31:55 -0500

Hugh takes a crack at understanding one of the more mysterious characters from the New Testament - John the B. In the process he imagines teen-age Jesus dropping a hilarious line. "Mom, why do we have frankincense in the house?"

rlp

You Know, That Other Bible

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 12:49:48 -0600

This conversation happened last night in the car. My wife and I both work, and I mean we work HARD. (I count my writing as work. Shut up. It SO is work!)

Anyway, we often have no energy to prepare dinner, but we love sitting down to eat with the girls. So we go out to eat probably twice a week. Last night we went to a little Chinese restaurant near our home. We just “discovered” it and are still in the honeymoon phase, raving about their Moo Goo Gai Pan and such.

For some reason Shelby was trying to remember some character from the Bible. Jeanene was driving.

AND....ACTION!

Shelby – Hey, who's that person in the Bible? Their name begins with like a G or something?

Me – God?

<Laughter all around>

Shelby – No, not GOD. Someone else. A regular person.

Me – Goliath?

Shelby – No

<Silence all around>

Me – I can’t think of any other Bible people whose names begin with G. <Looking at Jeanene> Can you?

Jeanene – No.

<Silence all around>

Reiley – Gimli?

<Silence. I turn around and look at her. OMG, she was serious>

Reiley – Oh, sorry. What am I saying? Gimli is from a different bible.

<I turn around again>

Me – A DIFFERENT bible?

Reiley – Well, The Lord of the Rings is KIND of like a bible, if you think about it.

AND....CUT!

Hmm.

So there you have it, folks. The preacher’s daughter and her OTHER bible. Nice.

rlp

Reading the Bible #7

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:10:36 -0600

The next in the series. There will probably be one more and then we're done.

The Reading List:

The Jewish Scriptures: Genesis, Exodus 1-20, I Samuel, selections from Psalms, Amos, and Micah.

The New Testament (Christian Scriptures): Matthew, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians, James.

Reading the Bible #6

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 06:37:03 -0600

Viva has the Learning Bible Discounted: Viva is offering The Learning Bible at a discount. They can only get the hard cover, and only in NIV. I was wrong about the NRSV being available. The NIV version is what I have. Regularly $50, they will sell it to you for $37.50 with $3 shipping.

They didn't want me to say this, but they will lose money on this deal. Thanks Viva!!

Okay, here's the next in the series. I made this one #6 and renamed the last video because it really wasn't in this series. I tried a new setting. The echo is too much, but I was in a big room. Also, Gabe sent me a 1 gig SD card, so I wasn't limited to 6 minutes. I'm worried that this is too long. You know how it goes, you tend to fill up the space you have. Let me know what you think. I went 14 minutes. I could be disciplined and keep it to 10. 6 really is hard to do.

Click here to get a copy of the Pocket Guide to the Bible.

Coming next: I reveal the coolest lectionary study group EVER. Seriously, even my atheist buddies will want in on this. There is, of course, one thing you'll have to bring with you if you want to participate. And it ain't a Bible.

rlp

Reading the Bible - Demons

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 06:03:22 -0600

Note: This video is a bit of an excursus from the series on how to read the Bible. I intended the next video to be a discussion of some interpretive tools that are a little beyond the study Bible. But my latest story gives me a chance to talk a little bit about reading the Bible with an awareness of ancient worldviews.

Number 6 in the series on how to read the Bible. Demons and the New Testament.

rlp

How To Read The Bible #5

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:12:43 -0600

Note: In this video I mention a special offer from Vivabooks if you wish to purchase a book I mention. But that offer won't be in effect until sometime Monday or Tuesday morning. I'll post information here when the special is available.

Number 5 in the series on how to read the Bible.

rlp

How To Read The Bible #4

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 19:27:07 -0600

More in the series. The next video is done and will be online in a day or so. And I hope to finish my story, "For We Are Many" by the weekend. BTW, what's with my shirt? It looks like it would hypnotize you if you stared at it hard enough. It's just a striped shirt. What is Google up to?

rlp

How to Read the Bible #3

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 00:34:04 -0600

Third video. A discussion of various translations.

rlp

How To Read The Bible #2

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:14:56 -0600

Second video. I'm beginning a discussion of the various translations that are available to you. I'll finish this discussion in the next video.

rlp

How To Read The Bible #1

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 07:34:12 -0600

Okay, here's the first in the series. Video #2 is already done and will be posted in just a day or two. Remember, I'm doing this because of a specific request from someone. Sometimes just the right person asks in just the right way. So if you have an interest in reading the Bible, here are some practical tips and guides for you.

And can I just say that Google must have someone choosing the worst possible frames to use as the still shots in these videos. This looks like I'm trying to kiss the camera with my freakish, monkey lips. Nice. Feel free to submit your own caption for this photo.

rlp

So You Want to Read the Bible

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:00:42 -0600

Nice. I love the still shot Google chose.

Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little...Mafia Don?

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 07:04:47 -0600

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
A wee little man was he.

These are the opening lines to a Sunday school song that I sang many times in my childhood. The story of Zacchaeus—found in the 19th chapter of Luke—is a popular one for children. Zacchaeus was a very short man who climbed a sycamore tree, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jesus as he walked by. We like to tell this story to children because Zacchaeus was small, just as they are small, and he wanted so badly to see Jesus.

Isn’t that a nice story?

Unfortunately, like many Sunday school stories, this one has been scrubbed and sanitized until it is hardly recognizable. The truth behind the Zacchaeus story is darker and more sinister. The most notable trait of Zacchaeus was not his lack of height, but his lack of character. Zacchaeus was a traitor. He collected taxes for the forces that occupied his homeland, and he carried out this task with brutal efficiency. He took more than was required and kept the extra. Further, as the chief tax collector, he was the equivalent of a mafia don. Zacchaeus got a piece of all the local action...

Click here to read the rest of this essay at The High Calling.

Click here to read other High Calling Bible study/reflections
by Gordon Atkinson

rlp

In Praise of Things Old and Inconvenient

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 08:12:42 -0500

Someone left a a beautiful blue box on the front porch of our church recently. A note on the top said, "For Gordon." I opened the box and inside was an elegant, blue fountain pen with gold bands.

The pen was left by an Episcopal priest named Cristopher whom I met in a coffee shop several weeks ago. We had one of those, "You're a minister? Me too! Isn't preaching wonderful except when it's awful?" conversations that ministers often have. The next time I saw him there, I noticed he was writing with a fountain pen. And since he is left-handed, there was ink smeared all over his hand.

Writing with a fountain pen is a choice. And to do so as a left hander, meaning you will always be dragging your left hand through wet ink, indicates a serious commitment. It's like me using my grandfather's pocket watch, which loses about 6 minutes a day. It's not practical, nor does it make sense in an age where cheap, quartz watches lose less than a second a month...

Click here to read the rest of this essay at The Christian Century online.

Archive of Christian Century Articles by Gordon Atkinson

a Christian Magazine
Christian Writing

rlp

God Doesn't Reward Bloody Knuckles

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 22:35:11 -0600

This is the third short reflection/Bible study that I've written for the High Calling. I have a contract to write for them once a month for the next year. This writing is a little different from what I do here at Real Live Preacher. It's a little closer to the kind of things I do at church.

The second chapter of Mark contains a fascinating story about four people who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus in hopes that he would be healed. Unfortunately, there was such a crowd in and around the house where Jesus was teaching that they couldn’t get near him. Undaunted, the four went up on the roof, tore open a hole, and lowered their friend down to Jesus.

It certainly was a brazen thing to do, if not exactly polite. I’m guessing the homeowners weren’t too pleased with their new skylight. Still, we understand the desperation of these friends and give them a certain amount of credit for gumption and ingenuity. Whatever we think of their methods, no one can deny that these four were determined and did not give up easily...

Click here to read the rest of this essay at The High Calling.

rlp