Have you ever opened the holy scriptures looking for wisdom and something just doesn’t sit right?
Sometimes it’s because it’s exposing some deep uncomfortable truth within ourselves.
Other times, the ‘holy word’ seems flat out wrong.
For example I’ve been preaching through Nehemiah verse by verse over the past year, and while it’s an extraordinary book, it ends on a disappointing thud. Not only because the people of God have abandoned all they worked so hard for, but the human hero of the story, Nehemiah, was a let down in the end as well.
Nehemiah is brash and violent in the last chapter. He attempts to restore order through tearing some families apart and literally giving some men a beating while pulling their hair out (Mark Driscoll calls it a ’scalping’ as if it was cool, but that’s another story). My NIV Men’s edition bible tries to redeem the end of this part of the story commenting on how Nehemiah was courageous in the end confronting sin.
I understand Nehemiah’s good intentions, but I disagree with how he handled the situation. You could call it sinful.
Are there passages in Scripture you personally disagree with? (I can think of plenty).
And what do you do about it?
Some folks like Brian Mclaren might argue we’re simply listening in on a collection of stories in human history, some emphasize Christ as hero, then there’s interpretative techniques like context, word analysis, descriptive vs prescriptive readings of the text… but still.
Are there particular moments where the Scriptures leave you hanging, unsatisfied, and shaking your head?
by Lon on September 12, 2008
You’ve got to love google’s ‘contextual’ ads.
Besides ads for various ’solar’ panels, the two ads that google’s been serving up on my site recently are
“Christian Leadership B.S.”
and
“Meet Christian Girls Free”
Some insights from this.
Picking out key words, is not the same as context.
Google can brilliantly identify over 63 billion web pages, but still can identify the pulse of who I am, what I value, and what I write about.
If red flags don’t go up when you advertise your Christian Leadership organization as B.S., do you really have a chance at helping others lead and engage culture in our context?
Maybe Christian Leadership is B.S.
How much are Christian girls supposed to cost?
And if you’re offering them for free, do we really want them?
Besides God, no one will ever fully know the extent of who you are. And every day you and I make decisions based on snippets of reality.
What does it mean to engage others as fully human In a world of soundbites and snapshots, where context is a moving target?
If you’ve been following Barack Obamamania, you may have seen Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s latest speech. I think he’s quite the communicator and offers some profound insights, but I can’t say I quite agree with a lot of what he says, or the arrogance he sometimes projects.
What caught my attention was his discourse on Black liberation theology. Wright’s passion, and the narrative behind it is quite powerful. Which of course makes me wonder if there is any type of corresponding Asian theology that we can speak of with such pride???
The Chinese immigrant church has been booming in Toronto that past decade. I’ve had ‘white’ pastors tell me a number of times how enamored they are with the life they find in the growing Chinese church. They also ask when the Chinese church will start reaching back out to the rest of culture.
All the while, I know many 2nd generation Chinese Jesus-followers are a bit embarrassed by the mostly ‘ethnic’ church that they’re a part of. They’d love to reach out to others, but can’t get passed the initial ethnic barriers. Is there a story in the Chinese or Asian context with which we can uniquely proclaim as the Black church does?
I know there must be one, my seminary even offers courses specifically on Chinese theology and spirituality. I can’t say I’ve heard much in my time in Chinese church circles though.
I do know that when great oppression meets the liberating Gospel of Christ, revivals are often stoked. This of course is a huge part of the narrative in the black church. It’s also an integral part of the church in China that is exploding, which everyone seems to be raving about these days.
As for Chinese or Asian Christians in the west, I can’t say I hear a unifying story being shouted from the rooftops.
I’m sure part of it is due to a cultural inferiority complex along with some model minority issues, but someone please educate me on this one before I make something up… is there a uniquely Asian theology we should be cherishing? Or is there really a need for one?
Have you ever opened the holy scriptures looking for wisdom and something just doesn’t sit right?
