What The Bible Says
Is Not What The Bible Teaches

A friend and I recently had a discussion about same-sex marriage. It wasn’t a new occurrence. We’ve had the discussion many times. I have no problem with the arrangement and he’s still in the land in-between. He won’t fight it vociferously but in his thinking it’s unacceptable.

Both of us believe the Bible and both of us use the Bible to support our ideas. If you’re having a “What” response to that statement, that’s ok. This dilemma highlights an important truth.

We don’t believe the Bible differently, we interpret it differently.

The Bible is a book that needs to be interpreted. We take our ideas from the Bible, we don’t impose our ideas on the Bible. And it is important to allow the Bible to speak for itself.

It’s actually a fact that what the Bibles says is not what the Bible teaches and everyone believes that. If you think that isn’t true, just ask how many people use toilets. God told the Israelites to dig holes. We’ve developed indoor plumbing (thankfully) and our plumbing does nothing to break with the principles of the hole digging regimen taught in the Old Testament.

Traditionally, Jewish scholars have isolated 613 different laws in the Old Testament. A few of those are Temple related and thus discontinued but of the rest, some 450 involve direct commands which we don’t obey today.

If you have tattoos, you’re disobedient. If you wear clothes made from blended material, you’re disobedient. If you eat pork and a long list of other disallowed foods, you’re disobedient. If you work on a Sunday, you’re disobedient.

As soon as you begin to explain why we can eat pork today and they couldn’t, you’re making my point. When it comes to direct statements in the laws of the Old Testament, it is our responsibility to isolate the underlying principle before applying it to modern life.

That idea applies to the prohibitions on same-sex contact. [Read more…] about Same-Sex Marriage: Allowed Or Not

Trimming The Government
Is One Thing
Annihilating It Is Another

Here’s what I believe are the facts based on what is happening now.

Trump Is Definitely Colluding With Putin

It is true that the FBI’s investigation into collusion came up with nothing conclusive but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a reality, it only means that it hasn’t been proven. Yet!

Suspending the investigation was a temporary stay, not an acquittal.

But we have to get real here. Can there be in any doubt that Trump has great respect for Putin, styles his leadership in the same way and makes decisions that favor Putin’s invasion of Ukraine?

• He’s accused Zelensky of starting the war with Russia.
• During his first term in office, he threatened to withhold congressionally allocated aid for Ukraine unless the Ukrainian government began investigations into Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and that was done for no other reason than to bolster his efforts to win reelection.
• He is now strong arming Zelensky into giving away rights to Ukraine’s mineral resources without guaranteeing protection against Russia.
• Instead of declaring his opposition to Putin’s dictatorship, and all the abuse that goes with it, he makes admiring remarks about Putin’s skills and leadership.

How can you interpret this in any other way than to conclude the two leaders are in league.

The old saying applies. If it looks, sounds and walks like a duck.

Maybe the reason Trump speaks out against war is because he doesn’t want to be put in a position where he might have to do battle with his buddy, Putin.

Trump Now Has Control Of The FBI

It’s a weird state of affairs at the moment, not because Trump’s intent isn’t clear but because it is. He is slowly but surely eliminating legal barriers to his agenda and we aren’t as worried as we should be even though we see it happening. [Read more…] about Trumps Methods Reveal His Motive

Negating Ideas
Is Neither Clarifying
Nor Helpful

Before I read this book, I’d never heard of David Gushee. I read it only because it was being used for a study group in a church I was familiar with. The church was progressive and the book was enticing.

The enticement was based on two facts. The number of people questioning and/or leaving evangelical churches particularly of the fundamentalist version and the title, “After Evangelicalism”, which seemed to imply an answer for why people were leaving and where they were going.

For the record, Pew Research reported that the number of US citizens claiming to be Christian dropped by 12% over the decade between 2011 and 2021. Most of the decline was among Protestants and fundamentalist Evangelicals had the largest share so the topic is certainly relevant.

People are leaving. The trend is visible. The book offers an answer to “Where should they go?”

Although I spent most of the last fifty plus years in fundamentalist circles, I too have concerns and have entertained them for quite some time. I still believe the Bible entirely and trust Jesus completely but I question the interpretations commonly taught in fundamentalist circles.

There was no single cataclysmic moment that dismantled everything I believed. It wasn’t an avalanche. My concerns developed slowly over time as situations arose.

The Jay E. Adams counseling books are an example. His teachings led us to believe any Christian is capable of unraveling the intricate and complex problems that plague the lives and disrupt the relationships of people. Influenced by Adams’ books, counseling became the craze for every person from the pulpit to the pew and since churches are often like echo chambers and public prayer is a great source of gossip, the result was pure chaos.

Since those days, I’ve come to believe that counseling is both a gift (some people have it, some don’t) and a qualification. It’s something you’re called to do and something you must learn to do but thanks to Mr. Adams, many won’t have it.

Another issue that created cracks in my fundamentalist advocacy was the hard fisted way churches handle divorce and remarriage. You expect that from Catholics but even protestant churches are taking up the Romish mindset.

That’s just two issues and they’ve been around for years but it only gets worse. In more recent times, it is the absolutist mindset about abortion and the heavy handed approach fundamentalists take to sexual orientation and identity issues.

For some of these issues, I’ve developed ideas I believe are helpful, clarifying. For others, I’m still thinking, but in every case I’m motivated by the hope that there is a better, more thoughtful response than the usual fundamentalist approach which is to sequester every uncomfortable topic behind closed doors.

Some might write me off as just another progressive but there is one very important way in which I differ. In every case, whatever the issue and whatever my conclusion, I take my cues from the Bible. The Word of God, which is what I believe the Bible to be, is still the source and foundation for every belief.

The sad part is progressives, the people we think could help, begin their arguments in most cases by attempting to dismantle the Bible. They don’t just excise a text here or there but the effort is more like evisceration. Once they’re finished, there’s not much Bible left to consider. [Read more…] about Book Review: After Evangelicalism by David Gushee

But It’s Human
To Be Curious

The Bible plainly states that God has foreknowledge. He knows what is going to happen before it actually happens and from a human perspective, we are fascinated by that.

We understand the concept but can’t possibly relate to that reality. We can fiddle with the idea philosophically but that’s it, and that’s kind of the point of this post. No human can know with certainty what is going to happen even in the next five minutes much less a year or more from now.

Other than conceptual awareness, foreknowing is completely beyond the sphere of human experience.

We might have an idea, even a good idea, how things will pan out but the difference between that kind of anticipation and knowing absolutely is light-years.

We can know the odds of winning but anyone promising a definite win is either lying or manipulating the circumstances.

When it comes to the future, humans are only capable of imprecise predictive knowledge. We are curious. God is neither imprecise nor predictive nor curious. He’s prophetic.

Our expectations are based on analysis, investigation, reasoning, and are largely influenced by hope. God is all-knowing. His rational capacities are never spent trying to figure out why things happen the way they do.

Humans anticipate multiple possibilities and plan for each one as best they can. We hope for desired outcomes but there’s always a degree of mystery. Nothing is guaranteed. That’s not a space God lives in.

What we don’t do, or at least shouldn’t do, is forget about the future and we shouldn’t just wait for it either.

The future is what helps us get over the past.

But what I’ve described so far is what humans experience. God does none of that.

God doesn’t make predictions because He already knows the outcome. He never spends time hoping for anything.

He knows what’s going to happen, to whom it will happen, how it will affect each person, and how we’ll respond. He knows all that. He knows exactly what our capabilities are and He knows what we’ll do to develop them and how effective we’ll be in using them.

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He knows what the possibilities are and He knows how the possibilities will play out. It’s hard to get your head around that.

Involved VS Intervening

God is involved. He created the universe in which we live and the universe doesn’t operate hands-free.

Gravity, weather cycles, biochemical reactions are created and maintained by God. He maintains them continuously but He doesn’t micromanage our responses to these facts once we discover them.

I can know what foods I should eat but God doesn’t make me eat them. He doesn’t plan the menu, cook the meals, or make me sit at the table till my plate is clean.

God doesn’t force the issue.

I can choose not to breathe and God won’t intervene if I make that choice, but I can’t change the fact that I need oxygen. [Read more…] about Foreknowledge Is God’s Domain

Mother Is Never Perfect
But She’s Always A Beacon Of Hope
And A Shield Of Protection

My MOM was married at age 17. She raised seven children none of whom are rich and famous but all of whom grew up knowing they were loved and cared for.

Moms Share The Gospel

We did not attend church regularly until I was thirteen years old but I KNEW MY MOM Loved God and respected His Word. We attended a church occasionally that some of my Grandmother’s relatives went to, but it was not the church that taught me the most important lessons. It was my MOM that taught me to love God and be kind to all people.

When I was in the second grade, age 6, a friend at school talked about God and the Second Coming of Christ. I was intrigued! I hadn’t heard of these things before so I didn’t understand everything she said but it was only natural for me to ask my MOM about it. I don’t remember all my MOM said but I do remember her explaining to me that Jesus loved me and had died for all my sins. In fact, I knelt down by an old green footstool in our home and prayed and ask Jesus to forgive me and come into my heart and save me.

That was my first experience with the Gospel but my MOM was a constant example of all the things Jesus taught.

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My MOM emphasized honesty, kindness, loyalty, hard work, finish what you start, faithfulness, respect, and even kindness to animals. I don’t remember her sitting me down and teaching me a lesson on any of those things. It’s what she was. Those values were reflected in her everyday life. She taught by example and her influence helped me understand that most of life’s lessons are taught more by example than by classroom instruction.

Moms Teach Manners

My husband’s MOM had many difficulties in her life. She and his Dad were divorced when he was in tenth grade. I unfortunately only saw her a few times but I am eternally grateful for the gentlemanly manners she taught her son.

She taught him how to treat a lady: how to walk on the street with a lady, how to open the car door for her, how to carry things for her, how to treat her with love and respect.

She took pride in her appearance and taught her son to do the same. She also taught her son the importance of reading and words. He says that she, more than any other person, believed in him. It wasn’t that she said, “I believe in you,” but the fact that she expected him to learn and grow. When a mother expects to do well and treats them like they can, they begin to believe it too.

I have two sons. I have tried to teach them to honor and respect their wives; to be a good example for their children. I have tried to teach them all the things my MOM taught me. Their wives tell me that I succeeded (with the help of their father of course). Following is a quote from a post my youngest son recently wrote:

My dad tells me that he used to become frustrated when I was younger because he felt that he couldn’t get me to express myself. He’d ask blunt questions about my day and my experiences and I’d give minimalist answers. “Yes.” “No.” “It was fun.” I’d rarely dive deep into my feelings. My feelings were a quagmire that I could barely negotiate. I wasn’t going to let anyone else in there.

Mom was better at it; her approach less direct. I used to hang out in the kitchen while she made supper or baked desserts for bible study. She’d make leading statements and I’d confirm the things she already suspected. Her superpower, besides having a sixth sense that I still don’t understand, was that she was able to probe my brain without me knowing she was doing it. To me, we were just chatting about everything and nothing. 

Moms Are Always Examples

Moms, we teach by example. Children observe and take in so many things that we are not even aware of. Whether we realize it or not, we are teaching our children every minute of every day by the way we act and react to every situation.

It’s not just your words. It’s your tone of voice, the smile on your face, and the hope you maintain. And it’s definitely something to think about.