The Good Book

It is exceedingly easy for me to ride a pendulum and develop an actual disdain for the Bible.  I have held it in such high esteem for so long that to finally see its faults creates a storm of difficult emotions.  I have seen it happen to others when people have idolized something or someone and are subsequently let down when the ultimate reality sets in. 

When I was in college my Intervarsity leader found out that (then president of IVCF) Gordon Macdonald had succumbed to an affair.  She cried and expressed such anger at him.  I remember at the time thinking how she must have idolized Gordon Macdonald to have such a severe reaction at the revelation that this man had a fault - that this man was after all, just a man with weaknesses and limitations as all men do.  (Macdonald is now the head of Denver Seminary.)

Likewise it is easy for me to focus suddenly on all that I see as problematic and “wrong” with the Bible.  But the reality is that there is so much that impresses me about the Bible.  For example, the poetry of the Psalms has resonated with millions of people for years, expressing the deepest feelings and longings of the human spirit.  Even though it is translated from a different language, the beauty of the prose still comes through in today’s English. 

The books of Job and especially Ecclesiastes have absolutely amazed me.  The very essence of modern existentialist thought is expressed here thousands of years before Camus, Nietzsche and the like.  The depth of insight expressed is phenomenal.  The juxtaposition of these books (dealing with the absurdity of human existence) next to the other books of the Bible is so surprising to me that it verges on jarring.  And this fact is (to me) one of the strongest indicators of God’s hand in the canonization process of the Bible.

There are many stories in the Old Testament and New Testament that have helped me understand certain immutable truths about man.  It always fascinates me that the weaknesses and strengths of man as depicted in the Bible seem so relevant and present-day.  I have seen the Bible’s depth of insight into the nature of man proven out in my life and the lives lived around me.  The validity of its commentary on man gives me confidence in its commentary on God and other spiritual dynamics.

And finally, Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament amaze me.  I have studied them for years and years through many stages of my development.  And even though they were written down two thousand years ago, I still find them to be refreshing, challenging, and uncompromising.  Reading them today through my 2014 American eyes, I find Jesus’ words to be authoritative, compassionate, and timeless.  I don’t think that this is simply my personal reaction to Jesus’ teachings, but I have to believe that most modern scholars of ethics are impressed with Jesus' teachings on hatred, objectification, and social justice.  His themes of mercy, grace, and tolerance could be mistaken for modern day movements of social improvement.  Morality, as established by Jesus’ teachings, is a demonstrably real and beneficial calling for individuals and society at large. It is because of Jesus’ teachings, (Christ’s teachings) that allow me to still consider myself a Christian.  Though I no longer subscribe to much of what many Christian churches teach “from the Bible”, I am still a faithful follower of Christ himself.  And though I’ve never liked the label “red-letter Christian”, I do now at least appreciate the impulse that drives people to use it.

I will need to watch myself as I search out my path forward.  I don't want to impugn something so good as the Bible.  It still has so much to offer me that I can't let resentment blind me to it.  Tearing down the golden calf does not require the slaughtering of all cattle.