One of my ongoing conversations with Christians is about whether we take the Bible seriously or literally, and I am going through this with a small group of college students in a class I am teaching – Introduction to the New Testament – at Albright College this spring. These students are all intelligent and considerate and respectful, and I am fascinated by the variety of takes on Scripture they have. Some of them have never, or barely, read the Bible, while others read it every day. Some take it literally, while others are confused by it. A few don’t really care – it’s just another class for them. Like the rest of the population, variety – dare I say, diversity? – is evident in this group of 13.
Yesterday, we were talking about Romans 1 – yes, the infamous anti-homosexuality passage that has caused more division among Christians than almost any other passage. I read the two clobber verses, then I read the paragraph that led up to it. It tells us that God allowed some people to not be heterosexual because they were idol worshippers. The paragraph after describes the heinous behavior of such people. I told the class that I know a lot of people who are not straight, and not one of them worships idols, nor are any of them (as far as I know) murderers, God-haters, heartless, or faithless. In fact, they are exceptional people who love the Lord and do good every day. I asked the class why so many Christians focus on this particular passage and not on the condemnation of wearing mixed threaded clothing or being greedy. They didn’t know – which makes sense, because none of us knows.
We all pick and choose which scriptures we follow and which we ignore. The difference between me and most people who say they are “Bible-believing” Christians is that I admit that I ignore parts of the Bible. Why? Because not all Scripture is equal in importance to me. Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets are all interpreted by the command to love God, neighbor, and self. I read that in this way: if a passage of Scripture contradicts that three-fold command, it can be jettisoned. I think some Christians focus on condemning non-straight people because they are a minority group that they think they can easily bully. I’ve got news for them – they can’t. One of the greatest things about America is that we are allowed to pick and choose what we believe about God. Another great thing is that we can’t force others into our little bubble. My rule about faith is simple – believe what you want, as long as you don’t hurt yourself or anyone else, and leave the judgment to God. Then God can pick and choose.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for making us so uniquely amazing, and for giving us room to grow. Amen.
Today’s art is “Bible Prophecy” by Alex Levin.