When you're 'young' (either a child raised by obedient Christian parents, or an older person being newly introduced to the Christian way-of-life) you're taught that The Bible is the pure, inerrant 'Word of God' (True History of Creation).Of course, 'Science' & 'The World' & 'simple human observation' often stand in disagreement with many of The Bible's proposals—I won't go into them specifically here (tho I'm sure I address them individually in other posts), except to say that they reveal something about The Bible ... something that's obvious to any observer (Christian or not), but which doesn't get mentioned nearly enough:
The Bible is Humans' Writing
Oh, it is (I believe, and most of its readers agree) inspired by Our Father God; and it has been 'verified' as such by millions (and billions & zillions) of scholars. But most of it remains 'the words & actions that many-many-many people suppose that Our Father God & his allies-&-enemies would've said & done in ancient situations.'
- It reveals that The Old Testament is mostly 'traditional history' (not 'the actual events that are deduced from historical records' so much as 'old stories passed down from grandparents to parents to children from generations before' ... the same way Sen. Elizabeth Warren 'knew' she was part-'Native American' before DNA-testing proved she was or wasn't);
- It reveals that The New Testament is mostly 'Good Press for Discipleship'—letters to 'churches' (reframed as 'letters to The Whole Church') telling them how to be good 'church-members' (whether church-leaders or their assistants or just obedient church-goers);
- It reveals that The Gospels are ... sort of a 'traditional history' passed down from 'parents you choose' (teachers, leaders, older friends) rather than 'parents you get by fortune (good- or bad-)' (tho it's hoped your natural parents would also be 'the parents you would choose');
- It reveals that those- and other types of writing are generally mixed together so that you feel ... I dunno; almost-like you're observing the supposed 'ancient past' as it happens (because–except as you are 'sheltered' from harsher realities until your shelterers feel you are ready to deal with the struggles–real-life doesn't space itself out and have times of 'only good' or 'only bad').
Reading of- and meditation on-The Bible reveals ... things:
The simple mind puts those all together & labels it all 'The Word of God,' but you gain experience & find out that those separate storylines are probably different 'degrees' of Truth (it seems you've got to discern what degree-of-Truth there is in 'each individual statement' rather than -in 'chapters- or books- or Testaments-at a time').
'That word' is built on an even-deeper source ... something crucial that firms the foundation upon which the our lexicon stands ...
The word “Degree” is built on ancient words that mean “to Walk- or |Go |Down” (a |Step Climbed |Toward something, |Rising in |Stages; Way, |Manner, |Condition, State, |Standing; |Times-Removed in a |Bloodline (Genealogical), Academic Rank |Conferred with a |Diploma (Educational); Gradually, by |Stages).
I think of this while I'm watching Shepherd's Chapel—paid-broadcasts of the "chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse" reading and study of The Bible.
'The Murray Boys' are usually good (at least in the Old Testament readings) about "going back to the original text" and making sure 'the meanings Christians-today give it' are the same as 'the meanings the original Prophets intended.'
But lately I've been seeing the episodes on Pastor Arnold's reading of The Book of Revelation—and he's 'preaching that Scripture' as if the English translation is "a direct translation of God's thoughts into the publisher's ear!" (Maybe in an earlier episode, Pastor Arnold went over the exact sense in which the writings were actually taken by the churches it was originally addressed-to, and I more-or-less started watching it 'right in the middle' where he has graduated it to "God said these words to us all" ... I dunno.)
But I think that–although it might make The Book of Revelation less "authoritative" (like 'brother telling sister that mommy-or-daddy said' rather than 'mommy-or-daddy telling her directly')–we need to remember that this is "what John heard God tell him the churches needed to hear (when he was exiled & starving & tired on the Greek island of Patmos)' in order that we can hear 'The Word that God has for us (mostly-rested & -well fed, among friends & family) today.
But I think that–although it might make The Book of Revelation less "authoritative" (like 'brother telling sister that mommy-or-daddy said' rather than 'mommy-or-daddy telling her directly')–we need to remember that this is "what John heard God tell him the churches needed to hear (when he was exiled & starving & tired on the Greek island of Patmos)' in order that we can hear 'The Word that God has for us (mostly-rested & -well fed, among friends & family) today.
Or maybe I'm looking at it wrong—that's one reason
Our Father God said "It is not good for the man to be
alone": "Because the man'll think he's right until someone else shows
Our Father God said "It is not good for the man to be
alone": "Because the man'll think he's right until someone else shows
him why he's not"—Won't you show me
if I'm right-or-wrong in the comments below?
if I'm right-or-wrong in the comments below?
Comments
Post a Comment
I appreciate your comment, and I'll probably approve it & publish it soon (give me about a week before you try to post it again when it doesn't publish immediately ... thanks)