Every now and again, I consider offering God the opportunity to let me handle His public relations. For a reasonable salary, I would gladly tackle the daunting task of giving God a fresh image for 2011. I mean, let's face it, there have been a lot of people in recent history who have done some pretty terrible things to God's image. Maniacal dictators? Check. Crazy cult leaders? Check. Priests, pastors, worship leaders caught in compromising situations? Check. Inordinately perspiring, well-dressed men on well-lit stages on the TV box? In spades. The list could go on, but you get the point. In fact, I am sure I have done some things over the years to damage God's image as well. Which, probably disqualifies me for the job. Darn!
Truth be told, I am not sure God needs help with His PR after all. As I get further and further into the Bible, studying the literary styles, understanding the nuances of Hebrew and Greek, and acquainting myself with the culture and context of the original writings, I find God comes off looking amazing, beyond-description. (Actually I get that just from reading the whole Bible, the previous sentence makes me sound way smarter than I really am.) And that doesn't even scratch the surface--yet another reason I'm not in charge of His PR. I am more and more convinced that even as Christians we try to make God into our own image; we want him to clean up and be neat and presentable for our family functions and awards ceremonies. We want Him to operate according to "our" rules of nature and things like that. The idea of a God who is in control and loves me and has desires for how I can best live my life--that can actually be terrifying. Therefore, we take the easy road, and spin the image of God into something we can manage, something we can tame, and something we can hide when it is inconvenient to be associated with a character like God.
Every now and then we forget to keep our identity a secret, though, and someone finds out and instantly, they take issue. We think that in this moment we are being "persecuted" for our faith, but it's really just people asking questions we don't know the answers to, or unleashing years of stored up anger/hurt/bitterness from years gone by (that was somehow attached to God/a church/a "Christian") in our direction. There are several ways to respond in this situation:
1) Cry. Curl into a ball on the floor and cry. The storm will pass.
2) Put your hands over your ears and shout things in a loud voice at the other person like: "Circular reasoning!" "You are taking that out of context." "You don't know what you're talking about!" "You are dumb." "Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far away."
3) Stare at them blankly and give yourself a wedgie. They will usually stop talking instantly. (That'll show 'em!)
4) Listen. Stand there, take it, and listen.
I could tell you how the first three options will turn out, but it will not improve your life (isn't that why you read blogs? To improve your life?). If you take number 4, one of the more popular rebuttals against God you might hear would be this one: "The Bible is full of contradictions."
Now, most people who make such a claim, when pressed, will not be able to produce five contradictions, yet the Bible, in their estimation, is "full" of them. Now, if you do a Google search on "Bible Contradictions," you will find that some people have tallied the number as high as 508. So, there are a wide range of people who consider the Bible to be rather contradictory. They might say, "Well the Bible says, 'God loves everyone," but then Jesus says, 'God helps those who help themselves.' Oh wait...maybe that was Ben Franklin, my bad. What was I saying...are you giving yourself a wedgie?"
In reality though there are plenty of verses in the Bible that can be pointed up as supposed "contradictions" by people way smarter than me, with the ability to use all sorts of argument rhetoric that would make my brain shut down--words like, "a priori." In the interest of time, we'll just look at two:
Genesis 6:6 states that God regretted making human beings and his heart was deeply troubled. How could an omniscient God regret? An omniscient God would have seen this coming.
Apparently, omniscient also means heartless-ness. Just because God gives his people a choice in how they live their lives, doesn't mean He is unaware of their choices. And just because God is aware of their choices, doesn't mean He won't be hurt/upset/disappointed when they make poor choices. Who would want to follow a God who didn't care?
Who bears guilt? Galatians 6:2 says "bear ye one another's burdens," but Galatians 6:5 states, "every man shall bear his own burden."
This is a place where a good translation helps. In a more updated version of the Bible, Galatians 6:5 says every man "shall bear his own load" and it is clearly in the context of testing one's actions and not comparing ourselves to anyone else. So, we carry each other's burdens, but it is our own responsibility to search our hearts and test our actions to see us how God sees us, not in comparison to another.
There are some common elements to a supposed Biblical contradiction." First, the King James Version is often used, arguably one of the least trustworthy translations available today (happy 400th anniversary though!). Second, one verse--or fragment of a verse--is used, where looking at the verses in between would clear the matter up quite nicely. Third, people often do not take into account what style the passage is in--poetry is different than historical narrative, which is different than an epistle--and ignore the larger point the writer may be trying to communicate. Finally, people often use this argument second or third hand; they heard it from someone else and have not investigated the matter thoroughly themselves.
We, as believers, though, do the same thing!!! We use God's word out of context to justify our own actions. We use verses or fragments of verses to make us feel good, and ignore the parts that would call into question how we live. We come across difficult passages in the Bible and we assume that we are right and God is wrong. We do not give God the benefit of the doubt. We do not dig, we do not test, we just make God into our own image, rather than allowing Him to transform us into His.
Which leads me to my closing point. There is one contradiction that we will never be able to refute: the walking kind. When someone reads the Bible, claims to believe it, claims to love God, and then does everything counter to that...well that is a serious contradiction. These contradictions are not so easy to refute. Because of contradictions like these, many people give up on God in the process of giving up on His so-called followers. And why not? If God sanctions followers like that, who needs God? Those of us who claim to love and follow and need God, then, should all take seriously the charge from Paul in Ephesians 5:15-20 that begins, "Be very careful, then, how you live...." If we don't want to be the contradiction that causes someone to stumble, then we all should strive to be an accurate representation of God for the world to see.
After all, God has already designed His PR campaign: we are to be His image-bearers. May we bear it well.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
God
Imagine my...surprise when I encountered God in the pages of the Old Testament.
What's that? The Old Testament?!? But it's so...so...old. And bloody. And people are so hairy. And what's with Song of Songs? Or is it Song of Solomon?
All valid points.
The thought had never occurred to me until recently that I might not be the main character in the Bible. I was shocked. I thought God wrote this book just for me, and guided it along so that I would have it so that I would know what to do with my life. And in some ways, that isn't totally false. However, that line of thinking assumes "me" at the center. The Bible has a lot to say to me today, but only because God does. The Bible offers a lot of really practical guidance for life and relationships and choices, etc., because God sets a great example for us to follow. The best part about the Bible, it turns out, is what it teaches us about Him. You know, the Author.
For example, a simple commandment like "Don't Murder," reveals to us a whole host of information about God: namely, that He doesn't want us to murder other people. But seriously, though, it shows how much God values human life, and that goes way beyond the issue of whether or not we actually murder someone--it has implications for how we treat others.
For something a little more obscure: Exodus 26:35: "Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side." Now, I am sure this verse is all over your home, memorized, emblazoned on plaques, knit into pillows, and even on your vanity license plate. No? Just me then? A couple things of note here: at the time the Tabernacle was built, there were lots of temples for idols in the nations surrounding the Israelites at the time. God does several surprising things here: 1) The Tabernacle is seriously small compared to the average temple (like 15ft. as opposed to 1/2 a mile!) and looked much like the typical Israelite tent; 2) Most temples had the lampstand in the inner room so the idol wouldn't be afraid of the dark--God, though, keeps it on the other side of the curtain so the priests can see; and 3) The table referenced in the verse would ordinarily be to hold the food for the idol in your average temple, but God uses it outside the curtain to provide food for the priests.
The contrast reveals a lot about who God is. God is humble. God is not here to be served, but to serve. God doesn't need food from us and isn't afraid of the dark--He isn't dependent on us to survive. God demonstrates that He wants to be close to His people, to identify with them, as evidenced by the type of "dwelling" He chooses...even though He doesn't actually need a dwelling.
More on this to come, but for now, start reading the Bible to learn about God. Then, model yourself after Him. Then, repeat.
What's that? The Old Testament?!? But it's so...so...old. And bloody. And people are so hairy. And what's with Song of Songs? Or is it Song of Solomon?
All valid points.
The thought had never occurred to me until recently that I might not be the main character in the Bible. I was shocked. I thought God wrote this book just for me, and guided it along so that I would have it so that I would know what to do with my life. And in some ways, that isn't totally false. However, that line of thinking assumes "me" at the center. The Bible has a lot to say to me today, but only because God does. The Bible offers a lot of really practical guidance for life and relationships and choices, etc., because God sets a great example for us to follow. The best part about the Bible, it turns out, is what it teaches us about Him. You know, the Author.
For example, a simple commandment like "Don't Murder," reveals to us a whole host of information about God: namely, that He doesn't want us to murder other people. But seriously, though, it shows how much God values human life, and that goes way beyond the issue of whether or not we actually murder someone--it has implications for how we treat others.
For something a little more obscure: Exodus 26:35: "Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side." Now, I am sure this verse is all over your home, memorized, emblazoned on plaques, knit into pillows, and even on your vanity license plate. No? Just me then? A couple things of note here: at the time the Tabernacle was built, there were lots of temples for idols in the nations surrounding the Israelites at the time. God does several surprising things here: 1) The Tabernacle is seriously small compared to the average temple (like 15ft. as opposed to 1/2 a mile!) and looked much like the typical Israelite tent; 2) Most temples had the lampstand in the inner room so the idol wouldn't be afraid of the dark--God, though, keeps it on the other side of the curtain so the priests can see; and 3) The table referenced in the verse would ordinarily be to hold the food for the idol in your average temple, but God uses it outside the curtain to provide food for the priests.
The contrast reveals a lot about who God is. God is humble. God is not here to be served, but to serve. God doesn't need food from us and isn't afraid of the dark--He isn't dependent on us to survive. God demonstrates that He wants to be close to His people, to identify with them, as evidenced by the type of "dwelling" He chooses...even though He doesn't actually need a dwelling.
More on this to come, but for now, start reading the Bible to learn about God. Then, model yourself after Him. Then, repeat.
No Offense...
No offense, but you are terrible at reading blogs. All these other people agree with me and they share my concerns regarding your web-based literacy--or lack thereof. We have been discussing this in our homes and in the parking lot for months now. We tried to drop subtle hints and glare at you and whisper loud enough to each other at home that you might here it at your own home. (I bet you didn't even notice that I just used the wrong "here.") They think you should take a class or read more blogs to help you improve your skills; I'm just telling you what they said, it's not necessarily my opinion. I agree with them, though; I have never seen anyone as inept in blog-reading as you. No offense. I gotta go now, though, but you keep up the great work. You are doing such a good job!
Have you ever been on the receiving end of one of these? It's like a nice, refreshing kick in the shins. Followed by a tiny envelope opener being inserted into your back. Finished off by a baby spitting-up on you. It's never fun. What do you do when this happens? What do you do when this happens and you work in a church?
One thing I've garnered from one of my professors over the past few years is this: some people want what God wants and some people do not. Some people want to promote goodness, truth, right, honesty, and healthy interaction, while others seem to want negativity, cynicism, and passive aggression to abound. If someone wants to come to me with an honest concern and present it in a way that is constructive, I'm all ears. If, however, someone wants to come and bookend a statement with "No offense" as if it were some sort of magical spell ("Wait, you physically cannot get mad, it's impossible! How dare you! I said no offense!"), then I am not going to lose any sleep over it. And neither should you.
If and when this does happen (actually, what am I saying, this sort of thing is so infrequent in our society, this blog post is probably totally irrelevant now), you and I are faced with Choices.. Remember that we are not accountable for other people's crimes against us, we are merely accountable for what we do in response. If you need to confront them, do it in the right way. If you need to distance yourself from them, do it quickly. If you need to establish boundaries, go for it. Resist the urge to lash back and find the strength and peace that come when we let things roll off of our backs that don't really matter.
And make sure you have people in your life who can be honest barometers for you of how you're living/working so you can seek their feedback in times like this. Don't let your view of yourself be shaped by the "No-Offensers;" let your view of yourself--and of them--be shaped by God. In life, and ministry, we need to lose less sleep over what "No-Offensers" say to us and wake up more to the things God wants us to do, the opinions He has about us, and the way He wants us to relate to others.
Just saying. No offense or anything...
Have you ever been on the receiving end of one of these? It's like a nice, refreshing kick in the shins. Followed by a tiny envelope opener being inserted into your back. Finished off by a baby spitting-up on you. It's never fun. What do you do when this happens? What do you do when this happens and you work in a church?
One thing I've garnered from one of my professors over the past few years is this: some people want what God wants and some people do not. Some people want to promote goodness, truth, right, honesty, and healthy interaction, while others seem to want negativity, cynicism, and passive aggression to abound. If someone wants to come to me with an honest concern and present it in a way that is constructive, I'm all ears. If, however, someone wants to come and bookend a statement with "No offense" as if it were some sort of magical spell ("Wait, you physically cannot get mad, it's impossible! How dare you! I said no offense!"), then I am not going to lose any sleep over it. And neither should you.
If and when this does happen (actually, what am I saying, this sort of thing is so infrequent in our society, this blog post is probably totally irrelevant now), you and I are faced with Choices.. Remember that we are not accountable for other people's crimes against us, we are merely accountable for what we do in response. If you need to confront them, do it in the right way. If you need to distance yourself from them, do it quickly. If you need to establish boundaries, go for it. Resist the urge to lash back and find the strength and peace that come when we let things roll off of our backs that don't really matter.
And make sure you have people in your life who can be honest barometers for you of how you're living/working so you can seek their feedback in times like this. Don't let your view of yourself be shaped by the "No-Offensers;" let your view of yourself--and of them--be shaped by God. In life, and ministry, we need to lose less sleep over what "No-Offensers" say to us and wake up more to the things God wants us to do, the opinions He has about us, and the way He wants us to relate to others.
Just saying. No offense or anything...
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