I have been saying this for decades, making lots of people mad at me (so, what’s new?), but here goes: American Christians are overwhelmingly biblically illiterate. Most of us have attended some form of religious education until about the age of 13. We have been confirmed or had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah or something equivalent, and then we have been allowed to decide for ourselves whether we would continue learning about God and attending worship. Smart, right? “Hi there 13-year-old – would you like to go to church/synagogue/mosque/etcetera this morning or evening, or would you like to say home and watch cartoons and eat donuts?” I know what my answer was (the latter); and parents allow this to happen! Who is in charge? I think we know.
This issue came up again in this election when now Sen. Talarico said that God is non-binary. Evangelicals supporting Ken Paxton, the most immoral and corrupt politician in our lifetime, went ballistic! And yes – Jesus calls God “Daddy” (Abba) – and yes – male language is used in the Bible to describe God – but, also – the Holy Spirit is female (Ruach) in the Hebrew Bible and – also – does anyone really believe that God is an actual dude? Jesus was, but God, He said, is a Spirit. God is like a mother hen. God is not male or female – God’s pronouns are they. At least, if we believe in the Trinity. At my snarkiest, I would tell these folks to read their Bibles in the original languages, but that’s really difficult. Maybe, instead, read about how the Bible came to be over many millennia; it is an amazing story. What we understand as the Bible didn’t happen overnight.
Biblical Inerrancy is a lie that has only developed over the last 200 years; if you want to understand your faith better, I suggest that you pick up a Bible and start reading. Sure – there are lots of boring parts; I would skip over Numbers and Deuteronomy at first – you can read that later. Start with Genesis and Exodus, then hop on over to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Read 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians after that. And so on. One book or letter a day would take, in most cases, less than an hour – you could read them during the commercials while watching Jeopardy. If every person who claims to be a Christian took the time to prayerfully discern what is actually in the Bible, our congregations would be stronger, and our country would be safer from those who pervert the Bible. There is only one way to cure illiteracy in any form – read! And if you need a Bible, let me know – we have plenty at Calvary.
Prayer – Thank You, God, for the gift of Your words interpreted through human ears and minds and hearts – it helps us be more faithful when we read them. Amen.
Today’s art is “Christ on the Sea” from a Bible produced in the late 1500’s/early 1600’s by the de Jode family, a prominent dynasty of Flemish engravers, cartographers, and publishers active in Antwerp from the mid‑16th to late‑17th centuries. The actual artist is unknown.