One of the first Bible studies I ever did at Calvary was a comparison of the biblical creation stories in Genesis 1 and 2. I said that you can tell a person’s theology by which one they think makes more sense (they are both mythology, by the way). Jesus used Genesis 1, a more evolutionary story that is 6 days long with the Sabbath on the 7th that tells us of the creation of the man and woman as equals. The Apostle Paul used Genesis 2, in which creation is in one day, Adam is made first, and Eve is made last after God offers Adam a bunch of other options (read it – that’s what it says). And while there are a lot of Christians who mush them together and think it all happened that way, most of us read the stories and move on. I read the Bible – all of it – with serious interest and intent, but very little of it should be taken literally. Faith is never one-sided.
My faith is the same. I consider everything from a Jesus-focused lens, and I ask, simply, would He approve? If I hate someone for who they love, or judge someone for the way they look, would that be okay with Jesus? If I made laws controlling someone’s personal, non-dangerous choices, or demonized groups for practicing a religion that was different from mine, would I get a thumbs up from Him? I read the words that Jesus was supposed to have said, and I recognize that He almost always taught in metaphor, allegory, simile, and story. He told stories like, “A man had two sons” and “a woman lost a coin.” He asked people to think and analyze and be challenged; then, He let them decide. Jesus took free will seriously, because all of us can be smart and compassionate, if we think things through. And aren’t lazy about it.
Taking the Bible literally – saying that the Bible says it, so I believe it, is your choice, but it is also the easy way out. If we take the Bible literally, we can then approve of abuse of women, owning slaves, killing disobedient children, and murdering our kids Isaac-style because we believe God told us to. Taking the Bible seriously – thinking, praying, struggling, and working through it – forces us to ask hard questions that might force us to change our minds. Faith is the same; accepting hurtful theology just because we learned it that way isn’t faithful. Asking questions – addressing doubts – pushing ourselves to recognize that while the Bible is inspired by God, it was written by – mostly – men who were as flawed as we are, makes us consider that God is not to blame after all. People are. It makes us take responsibility for our actions – it forces us to accept the freedom that God created us to use justly. God made us to be mature in our faith; we just have to say yes to God and grow up.
Prayer – Holy God, reading the Bible isn’t hard, but it does take thought and discernment, two things You have given us. Thank You. Amen.
Today’s art is “Creation: Genesis” by Noreen Schumann.