No, I'm not asking whether your wife bosses you around or not. That's pretty much a given. (Just kidding, honey, just kidding! Ouch!) Um, anyhow.... I'm asking what the authority in your life is.
Too many times in the last months, I've talked to someone about an issue and brought up Scripture. Yet instead of interacting with that Scripture (even to discuss other ways it might be interpreted), the response has been to invoke tradition ("Well, I've been here 25 years, and we've never done it that way"), popular opinion ("I don't know a single other Fundamental, Independent Baptist preacher in this part of the state who believes that"), emotion ("But this is what I really feel is right"), theology ("But that can't be right, because this doctrine might be affected, and I'm committed to this doctrine"), human authority ("The Sword of the Lord (or Bob Jones University, or whatever other publication or institution the person has an affinity for) takes a different stance on that"), and simple unbelief or self-superiority ("I know what the Bible says about this, but I really think what I'm doing is right.")
If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say "I know what the Bible says, but...," I could live like a prosperity-gospel televangelist without ever wearing the makeup. The shattered lives of the people I know personally who have made those statements, then reaped the catastrophe they sowed by ignoring the Bible in favor of some other authority, could occupy a daytime talk show for seasons.
I'm not talking about issues with hazy interpretations of a single word in a single verse. I'm not asking people to fall into line with abstract inferences from Ezekiel and Revelation. I'm talking about matters clearly addressed in Scripture, typically with multiple references, taken in context, teaching the same truths. (And no, I'm not talking about getting all those responses to a single hobby-horse issue of mine, either - these responses range across a variety of subjects and conversations.)
The sad thing is, many of these conversations have been with deacons, with preachers, with long-standing members of good churches. These are people who claim to believe in Biblical authority.
What does Biblical authority mean? It means that whatever the Bible says, we believe. Whatever the Bible commands, we do. It should be that simple. Obviously, we must take Scripture in context and interpret carefully, seeing the Bible as a whole, rather than pulling out little proof texts for pet positions. It doesn't mean we have to change our minds the first time someone hits us with something new and quotes a Bible verse to support it. But when the Bible speaks clearly on an issue or behavior, we ought to listen and obey.
Historically, this was a defining trademark of Fundamentalism. It set the early Fundamentalists apart, probably more than anything. They refused to reinterpret or ignore the Bible based on tradition. They rejected human intellectualism that discarded Biblical accuracy. They determined not to be swayed by the pronouncements of scientists or the pressures of popular culture. They decided that if the Bible said it, they would believe it, and if God commanded it in His Word, they would strive to do it. This was the public stance of the movement, and I applaud it, for it is right. According to Jesus Christ, the Word of God is truth, and according to Paul, it is the means by which we mature and are equipped for every good work. It ought to permeate our lives, directing us in every decision through its precepts and principles.
Yet the spiritual fruit of those who made these pronouncements (however well or poorly those individuals lived out the pronouncements themselves) seems to be falling farther and farther from the tree. Biblical authority is lifted up so long as it can be used as a weapon to enforce what the person already thinks and does, and it is swiftly set aside when it doesn't fit into the preconceived package of ideas the person has.
I'm glad there are many I know in Fundamentalism and even in my church who do truly regard the Bible as the final authority. There are still some left who will search His Word and allow it to change them.
For the rest, I weep. A life or ministry built on any authority other than that of the Word of God stands upon treacherous sands. That house will fall.
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Your blog is always very interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it seems like the things we ignore most are commands to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to care for the sick and the hungry. We don't seem to get fired up about that with the moral fervor with which we get fired up about other things. Instead we cite studies about welfare, about the causes of poor health, about imprisonment rates, etc. Or we make excuses.
I'm not sure what else I can say on this topic without stumbling into either self-righteousness or hypocrisy. My church is going through something related to the authority of Scripture at the moment. Many people disagree over the interpretations of the Scripture, but that's a different issue; I would rather see two people disagreeing over an interpretation of the Scripture that they both acknowledge is the authority than one person upholding the authority of Scripture and another disagreeing on another ground. But you've made me think about the way I think about some things, which is good.
By the way, I'd be a lot more comfortable reading your blog without the joking references to henpecked husbands and domestic violence. :)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you said about preferring to see two people disagreeing over interpretation rather than one person viewing Scripture as the authority and the other not. That's really what I was driving at.
As for the henpecking and husband-beating... anyone who actually knew me and my wife would know it is a joke. The idea that she could bully me or that I would bully her is actually pretty funny. The problem here, of course, is that very few readers actually do know me. It's easy to forget that with the anonymity I have here comes difficulty in signaling what's a light-hearted poke at a steriotype and what's darker humor pointing at reality.
So... if you drop back by, a serious question... are those joking references a distraction, something so easily misunderstood as to detract from the value of the blog? I want to be able to joke here, to keep the "fun" in Fundamentalism... but not at the expense of clarity or giving offense.
*grins* Could be a fun discussion... the role and use of humor in serious discourse. Thoughts?
Yeah. As I said, my church is currently experiencing some division, and I would be happier about the whole thing if both groups were basing their positions in Scripture.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other, it's not that I misunderstood you: I understood that you meant it as a joke, and that you weren't actually trying to imply that you are henpecked or your wife is abusive. It's just that some things are too awful in real life for me to really "get" jokes about them. This just kind of happens to be one of the things I'm touchy about: it's not acceptable for husbands to beat wives, for wives to beat husbands, or to joke about husbands beating wives (at least not where I come from). So I'm not sure why we joke about wives beating husbands, you know? I've never been in this position myself, but I imagine that if I was a spouse of either gender who had been abused, even jokes would probably be pretty painful.
Now, this is your blog; I'm quite used to being labeled a humorless feminist over stuff like this, and I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over something you do on your own blog. It probably wouldn't even keep me from reading. But, as one reader, I just wanted to let you know how one aspect of your post came across to me. :)
*grins* Well, I appreciate the feedback. I love it when a blog becomes a forum for discussion, rather than just a platform for one person to rant.
ReplyDeleteWhile I certainly can't prevent everything I say from bothering anyone (James 3:1-2, anybody?), I can certainly try to be sensitive to the legitimate concerns I know about. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!