tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71308502024-03-13T20:57:35.593-07:00Dancing in the Dark Thoughts on Christianity in our Postmodern world. "For now we see in a mirror, dimly"Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-54173187291739812562016-09-11T21:40:00.003-07:002016-09-11T21:40:40.989-07:00Actually, my new blog is found here: www.pastor2pew.org/blog. Sorry for sending you to a site you can't access without a subscription.<br />
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Steve KindleSteve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-12229633555412685322016-09-11T20:58:00.000-07:002016-09-11T20:58:54.965-07:00I hope you join me in my new venture<span style="font-size: large;">Dear subscribers—</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am closing down this blogsite soon. I have, however, begun a new one at <a href="http://www.pastor2pew.org/discuss">www.pastor2pew.org/discuss</a>. I invite you to look it over to see if it's something you would like to follow. If so, you can subscribe just like you did to this one. It's focus is on promoting understanding of Progressive Christianity, and a part of the ministry of <a href="http://www.pastor2pew.org/">www.pastor2pew.org</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am very appreciative of your interest in my work and look forward to seeing you on my new blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">All the best,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Steve Kindle</span>Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-79314989875602740272016-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:002016-01-27T09:12:01.350-08:00Has the multiplicity of interpretations made the Bible incomprehensible? —YES<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><img alt="" height="160" 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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>by Steve Kindle</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
For those of us in the West, once the Roman
Catholic Church lost its hegemonic hold on the content of the faith, it’s
become “every man for himself.” Or in the words of pope of the Reformation
period, “With every man his Bible, soon everyman his own church.” Quite prophetic,
wouldn’t you say?</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The Reformation’s emphasis on the right of every
believer to interpret the Bible soon became warrant for any old interpretation
that suits the interpreter. Who is there to suggest otherwise?</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
Add to this that the scholarly biblical academy
can’t seem to come to a consensus on, well, you name it. We’ve arrived at a
point where biblical inquirers are presented with a smorgasbord of options, and
we pick and choose as it suits us, with no better reason than choosing a Ford
over a Chevy, merely personal preference.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
This all begins with the complicated nature of the
Bible itself. In order to make sense out of the 31,102 verses, 1,190 chapters
and 66 assorted books, it is necessary to employ a schema, or template, to
organize its contents into a manageable whole. This is truly a “can of worms,”
as the options for this are mindboggling. Additionally, the Bible is a product
of people with a worldview quite different from ours. It’s a very difficult
task to enter into that ancient world and think as they did. It requires
immersing ourselves in cultures two to three thousand years old. Many bypass
this step and just read it like the daily newspaper. This “what it means today
must be what it meant then” approach is sure to yield disappointing results.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
What this has done to the church is create oases
of partisanship based not on what is found to be the highest truth, but on, as
we know from H. Richard Niebuhr on down, economic and political confederacies.
It means, “I belong to my denomination because I was raised in it,” or “The
people were good to me and so nice.” No matter that you are led by a Jim Jones
(Peoples Temple), or a Martin Luther King, Jr. People who, indeed, attempt to
find the church closest to the Bible soon learn that it is a fool’s errand. Even
the New Testament churches present a wide range of doctrines and differ in many
ways. What would the doctrinally perfect church look like? The fact that there
are hundreds of options (if not thousands) reflects the difficulty, if not
impossibility, of making sense of the biblical data to anyone but the
interpreters. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The classic creeds from the Nicaean forward were
attempts to cull the basics from Apostolic Christianity to bring order and
clarity to the church. All they did was divide the church then, and today make
understanding them as difficult as understanding the Bible. Homoousios, anyone?</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
A literal understanding of the words in the Bible
is no help either. Whether the literalist understands it or not, there is no
such thing as an uninterpreted text. Whatever lens we view the Bible through
will control the outcome. And we all wear lenses. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
Now, as to the meaning of incomprehensible. The
dictionaries basically define it as “unable to make sense.” My overall point is
this: because the Bible does not speak with one voice, but covers a variety of
points of view, and even contradicts itself from time to time, one can’t expect
its interpreters to do any better. This cacophony of interpretations is bewildering
and finally debilitating to the average Bible reader who ultimately surrenders
to what seems best, unable confidently to sort out the best among its many
contenders. “This makes sense to me,” serves as the final judgment, because we make it make sense.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
Any “sense” made from the Bible, is a derivative
sense, derived primarily from the approach taken in the reading. There is no
obvious sense lying on the surface for any fool to see. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
None of this is, of course, the Bible’s fault. It
has the inconvenience of being made up of words. Words are, after all, symbols,
and symbols are capable of wide meaning, especially when read by people with
different backgrounds and experiences. The meaning taken from the Bible varies
greatly among women, minorities, third world, poor, oppressed, and oppressor
(to name only a few). The meanings are so dissimilar that one sometimes wonders
if they are reading the same book. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The real question is, is this a problem? Not if
you understand that diversity of interpretive outcomes is inevitable. In fact,
diversity of interpretation, for those who remain tentative in their work, is
welcome. Why? Because it acts as a corrective. If we remain humble before the
text and are willing to listen to others, inch by inch, we may actually come to
a more suitable outcome than simply camping on what seems good to us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
This diversity of interpretations is also good for
us. Paul’s advice that we “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling,”
puts the burden on seeking and finding for ourselves, but not just for
ourselves, but in community with other seekers. Only in community can we be
exposed to correctives and also the motivation to live out our discovered
truths. Even though we may never find the ultimate answer (we see in a mirror,
darkly), journeying together has its own rewards. In a very substantial way, the
enigma of the Bible is also its greatest good.<br />
<br />
Now I know what you're thinking. I may be right about some of the
more difficult areas of biblical interpretation, but the Bible is very
clear on what we need to know for our salvation. Oh, really? Is Paul the
authority that we are saved by grace through faith--not of works? Or is
it James who says that we are not saved by faith alone? Or are the
Restoration churches correct in insisting that baptism for the remission
of sins is necessary for salvation, or the Baptists who believe that
baptism follows salvation? And all are against the Calvinists who insist
that humans have nothing to do with the decision! (We could go on,
couldn't we.)<br />
<br />
Therefore, in the words of Micah,<br />
<i>“With what shall I come before the <span class="sc">Lord</span>, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the <span class="sc">Lord</span>
be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and
what does the <span class="sc">Lord</span> require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? </i>Or, as Ecclesiastes would say, <i>"This is the end of the matter."</i></div>
<b>
</b>Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-23511729399876762162016-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:002016-01-23T08:23:56.122-08:00How Has Modern Science Changed How We Understand the Bible?<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<b>by Steve Kindle</b></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
“By identifying the new learning with heresy, you make orthodoxy synonymous with ignorance.”<br />
~Erasmus</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
What follows in this post is my personal reflection on <a data-mce-href="https://energion.co/discuss/2016/01/22/should-we-assume-a-scientific-worldview-when-we-come-to-interpret-scripture-yes/" href="https://energion.co/discuss/2016/01/22/should-we-assume-a-scientific-worldview-when-we-come-to-interpret-scripture-yes/">Dr. Vick's post </a>which
ran yesterday on the Energion Publications blog (for which I am the editor). Although I hope he finds this compatible with his own
view, he may not. He is only responsible for prodding me to think
through some of the implications of what he wrote.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b><a data-mce-href="https://energion.co/discuss/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/01/Head-Brown-small.jpg" href="https://energion.co/discuss/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2016/01/Head-Brown-small.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-2163"></a>The heliocentric model of the universe changes everything.</b><br />
Since
the Copernican revolution, we can no longer accept the Ancient Near
Eastern three-tiered universe with heaven “up there,” and Sheol “down
below.” Paul’s vision of a man transported to “the third heaven” reveals
a psychology steeped in that worldview. Elijah taken to heaven in a
fiery chariot, and even the ascension of Jesus, can no longer be taken
literally. Given the vastness of the universe, the psalmist’s question,
“what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you
care for them?” takes on deepened meaning. Can we still speak of God “in
the heavens,” or literally understand that “The Lord came down to see
the city and the tower, which mortals had built.”? I think not.<br />
<br />
<b>The biological Theory of Evolution changes everything. </b><br />
No
longer can we think of the world as created in six days, or Bishop
Ussher's 6,000 years ago, or the Creationist's 10,000. The creation
narratives in Genesis can no longer be taken literally, but as a poetic
ode to creation and the Creator. Adam and Eve can now be seen as a
primordial myth that speaks to the human condition, not of the actual
First Parents. The Flood has shrunk to the area surrounding the Black
Sea about 12000 BCE. (The universality of flood stories can be traced
back to the melting of the great ice sheet that covered most of the
northern hemisphere at the same period, and how it affected its people.)<br />
<br />
The
only answer that literalists can give in response is that the Bible is
the word of God and must take priority over any other presumed
authority…regardless of the overwhelming scientific evidence to the
contrary. “The Bible says” trumps scientific findings.<br />
<br />
Literalists
do claim a kind of science on their side, Creation Science. They
marshal “evidence” that no scientist in the academies supports, even
continuing to cite long overturned arguments from John Whitcomb, Henry
Morris, and George McCready Price. The Creation Science movement proved
too embarrassing for many scientists of faith, because it was tied too
closely to biblical arguments. They began the Intelligent Design
movement and eschewed any taint of religion in their deliberations.
However, virtually all are aligned with some form of Christian
Evangelicalism or Fundamentalism, which drives their efforts, not pure
science. They have yet to make significant inroads into the wider
scientific community.<br />
<br />
So what does the consensus scientific worldview do for biblical interpretation and theology?<br />
<ul>
<li>It removes biblical supernaturalism as an explanation of events.</li>
<li>God’s transcendence is not physical (out there), but “wholly other.”</li>
<li>Literalism is no longer the first and preferred reading.</li>
<li>The
biblical notions of sin and salvation (atonement) need to be understood
as arising from the ancient milieu, and not appropriate today.</li>
<li>The
Bible, rather than being a scientific textbook, can be recognized as
the record of a people trying to understand their world and their place
in it. It is the people’s record, not God’s.</li>
<li>The apocalyptic
undergirding of the New Testament needs to be seen as a yearning for
hope in a world gone mad, not as a timetable for the ages.</li>
<li>It ends the dualism that turns the world into a battleground instead of a paradise.</li>
</ul>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
What are some of the applications that can be made from these assertions?</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b>It removes biblical supernaturalism as an explanation of events.</b><br />
God
can no longer be seen as acting from outside the cosmos upon the Earth
shaping events and suspending natural law at will. Things have proceeded
over the past 14.5 billion years in a natural fashion and continue to
do so. We know that the Earth rotates about 25,000 miles per hour and
orbits the sun, which is stationary (relative to the earth). The story
of the battle for Jericho includes God causing the sun to stand still in
the sky to allow for more daylight. This is a perfect example of the
ancient worldview’s explanation for how Israel wins battles: God
intervenes for them. This, for me, serves as an archetype for all such
interventions.<br />
<br />
<b>God’s transcendence is not physical (out there), but “wholly other.”</b><br />
By
removing God from beyond the cosmos (heaven), we have not demoted God,
but made God immanent—within all things. In certain ways, God is closer
to humanity than before. Gone are such notions as “the Man upstairs,”
“the Old Man in the sky,” and other figures of speech that make God
remote and far removed from human life. God being intimately related to
and involved with every aspect of life, from the smallest subatomic
particle, to the fullness of the cosmos, makes everything sacred and
gives humans motivation for proper care of creation.<br />
<br />
<b>Literalism is no longer the first and preferred reading. </b><br />
Knowing
that we are reading ancient documents that are informed by a worldview
vastly different from our own, we can no longer accept their
understanding at face value. Taking the text literally is to overlook
this fact. We begin interpreting by asking what informed the author to
understand the text in this way, and then compare it to how we find
things in our world today.<br />
<br />
<b>The biblical notions of sin and
salvation (atonement) need to be understood as arising from the ancient
milieu, and not appropriate today.</b><br />
Can you imagine
anyone operating out of the modern worldview attaching the remedy for
sin to blood atonement? The gods of the Ancient Near East were
capricious and vengeful. In agrarian societies, the only thing they had
to offer the gods to appease them were what they grew or the livestock
they raised. They saw these things as an extension of themselves, and,
in a way, the offering of themselves. Blood, life, in exchange for their
lives.<br />
<br />
Even the Bible comes against this notion from time to time. From Amos: <i>I
hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn
assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain
offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of
your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of
your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let
justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing
stream. </i><br />
<br />
<i> </i>Even the pagans such as King Nebuchadnezzar found peace with God away from blood atonement. From Daniel: <i>Therefore,
O king, may my counsel be acceptable to you: atone for your sins with
righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that
your prosperity may be prolonged.”</i><br />
<br />
Not all the atonement
theories arising from the New Testament and later required a blood
sacrifice for efficacy. Specifically, Luke sees salvation arising out of
being faithful to the end, even as was Jesus, who models our means of
salvation.<br />
<br />
<b>The Bible, rather than being a scientific
textbook, can now be considered a record of a people trying to
understand their world and their place in it. It is the peoples’ record,
not God’s. </b><br />
Rather than this being woeful, it is an
amazing realization. Humans are capable of spiritual insights and
profound realizations about the world and themselves. God will be seen
as a participant in this, but the record is from humans. Therefore, for
humans to engage the Bible as human to human is to do precisely what the
ancient people were doing that resulted in the Bible. The tradition
continues into our own time and much spiritual good is reaped in the
process.<br />
<br />
<b>The apocalyptic undergirding of the New Testament
needs to be seen as a yearning for hope in a world gone mad, not as a
timetable for the ages. </b><br />
Apocalyptic theology, that is,
the understanding that God shapes all world history according to God’s
will, and that good will ultimately triumph over evil, arose out of a
need, indeed, a longing, that this is the case. I believe that God will
ultimately prevail in securing a world typified by shalom, and I
recognize this as a faith statement. But the notion of God
superintending history, much as a mother hen, doesn’t give free will its
due.<br />
<br />
The Hebrew Bible is full of instances where God is depicted
as “changing his mind.” First, with being sorry, actually repenting
making humankind, and rectifying this by the genocide of the race. Then
there is Moses pleading with God in the wilderness not to destroy
Israel. God relents when Moses argues that the Egyptians will laugh at
him. These and many other examples suggest that not all things are set
in place “before the foundation of the world.” That the future is
unknown and not predicable, as apocalyptic would have it.<br />
<br />
<b>It ends the dualism that turns the world into a battleground instead of a paradise.</b><br />
Religious
dualism is the idea that there are two supernatural forces
diametrically opposed to one another vying for dominance. For nearly 4.5
billion years of the formation of planet Earth, down to our own day,
dualism was irrelevant. Actually, the idea that there is God and an
anti-god (Satan), is very new to humanity. In fact, the Hebrew Bible’s
recording of the history of Israel from creation to the return from
Babylonian exile got along without it. Satan, as known in the New
Testament is absent. Dualism emerges in the Intertestamental period and
flourishes in the New Testament. Many scholars believe that Jewish
theologians were introduced to dualism during the Babylonian captivity
with their exposure to dualistic Zoroastrianism. Dualism tends to divide
people, institutions, and things into good or evil. <i>Monism</i>
(the metaphysical and theological view that all is one, that there are
no fundamental divisions) promotes world unity and peace and is the
basis of Shalom.<br />
<br />
<b>Conclusion</b><br />
We in the 21<sup>st</sup>
century have been given a marvelous inheritance in the Bible. If we can
learn to view it as a human enterprise encapsulating the wisdom of a
people who earnestly sought to find answers to the human predicament,
we, too, will find our way out of darkness and into the light. But only
if we are not imprisoned by an outmoded and now harmful worldview that
would keep us from finding our own way.Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-10658667402342231402015-11-12T01:00:00.000-08:002015-11-13T11:44:33.251-08:00The Great Commission should not be used to make enemies<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> by Steve Kindle</b></div>
<br />
Most of the foreign missionaries I talk to hold
in common a belief that God always precedes their arrival at the mission
field, and prepares the way. This notion is fraught with theological
insights. Not the least of these is that God is with people whom we may
consider “lost,” yet, there God is. With charity, we can call this a
relationship.<br />
<br />
A human characteristic we all share is the tendency to regard our
culture superior to all others. This would include our religions. In
America, we regard democracy as the best form of government and actively
seek to democratize the rest of the (backward) world. This is certainly
true for most adherents of Christianity—we want the whole world to
adopt our faith.<br />
<br />
This is, of course, an extension into the modern world of ancient
tribalism. Not only do we find the presupposition of “We are the best,”
but also the accompanying fear of those who aren’t like us. Couple this
with the capitalistic notion of “win or lose” and you have the recipe
for constant and continuing strife among the religions and peoples of
the world.<br />
<br />
What’s to be done about this? If you are a hardcore tribalist, you
will insist on winning over all. “We have the truth and you must come to
us for salvation,” is the rallying cry. Nothing will change if this
predisposition dominates, and it dominates throughout the world. I find
it ironic, if not humorous, that those who most exemplify this attitude
are the very ones most upset when they find it in others. “Radical
fundamentalist Muslims” deplore evangelistic Christianity.
Fundamentalist Christians deplore “radical Muslims.” They are two sides
of the same coin.<br />
<br />
It has been said often that the only hope for world peace is that
people give up exclusive claims about their own religion and accept that
they are not the only ones with the truth. This is surely at least
partially true. Religious strife is as ancient as Cain and Abel (the
proper way to sacrifice), and as recent as ISIL. Yet it is an
impractical solution; it will never happen, at least for the foreseeable
future. But this doesn’t mean that the adherents of these religions
can’t take this step.<br />
<br />
Gandhi is reputed to have said, “Be the change you want to see.” If
you feel that the answer to world peace is acknowledging the value of
other’s truths, at least for themselves if not for you, then by living
this out, there is one less person in the world agitating for division.
Who knows? It might catch on.<br />
<br />
When I read in the Bhagavad Gita, for instance, “They alone see truly
who see the Lord the same in every creature, who see the deathless in
the hearts of all that die. Seeing the same Lord everywhere, they do not
harm themselves or others. Thus they attain the supreme goal,” I marvel
at the truth therein, and my soul is enlarged. I love meeting people of
other Books, and often find my own self failing in comparison to their
lives and loves.<br />
<br />
Now I know the objections to this approach are many. “The Bible
says…” and “We have been given the Great Commission,” just to name two.
Fundamentalists will never abandon these “truths.” It’s true that the
Great Faiths are not teaching the same thing, but I believe that they
are capable of producing the same kind of person—loving, considerate of
the earth, peaceful—and that is the point, after all, isn’t it? In fact,
if Christianity produces hateful people, willing to kill others for its
“truth”, who condemn all who disagree, and hold them in contempt, why
bother with it?<br />
<br />
If I must go into all the world and preach the gospel, I will affirm
that God loves all people, that God wants all people to love each other,
and that God supports all who obey the Great Commandments regardless of
where it is found or who said it. And you know what? God will already
be there ahead of me, teaching the world through its own culture the way to Truth.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border: 3px solid green; margin: 6px; padding-left: 20px; padding: 6px;">
I recently published a short book that looks at why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it. Order<i> I'm Right and You're Wrong!</i> here:<a href="https://energiondirect.com/biblical-studies/im-right-and-youre-wrong" target="_blank"> https://energiondirect.com/biblical-studies/im-right-and-youre-wrong</a> It's only $4.99. </div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-999704271775767492015-09-25T10:11:00.000-07:002015-09-25T10:31:13.849-07:00A Striking Omission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yX2JI9MDqcY/VgWBCyuUzPI/AAAAAAAAAaw/4NKTuKVwsHo/s1600/Ground%2BZero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yX2JI9MDqcY/VgWBCyuUzPI/AAAAAAAAAaw/4NKTuKVwsHo/s400/Ground%2BZero.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Today, representatives of the major world
religions gathered at 9/11’s Ground Zero memorial to commemorate the lives lost
and comfort the still-grieving families. The centerpiece, of course, was Pope
Francis. However, the presence of Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Hindu,
Baha’is, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Christian Protestant leaders was
striking for its omission: Franklin Graham was not on the stage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The opening visual was of the rabbi and the imam
waking to the microphones, pausing to embrace one another. A Jew and a Muslim hugging.
A more appropriate beginning to a prayer service on behalf of the whole world
could not be imagined. No wonder Franklin Graham was nowhere to be seen. For he
represents a different notion of Christianity, typified by blaming 9/11 on
Islam, calling it a “very wicked and evil religion.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
It’s easy to blame the fundamentalists in Islam
who wage jihad against all perceived enemies. But what about Christian
fundamentalists whose only concern is the world domination of all people and
religions under the guise of the Great Commission, typified by Graham? Conservative
American Christians keep adding fuel to the fire of antagonism by insisting
that only Christianity is valid, and all other religions are of the devil. When
we get blowback, what did we expect? A warm welcome?</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The idea that a pope could address a joint session
of Congress was unthinkable until maybe the installation of Pope Francis. And
the message he brought? Learn to live together in our diverse world.
Perpetuating the animosities of the past only serves to prolong them. Finding ways
to acknowledge the good in peoples other than one’s own serves to diminish
age-old antagonisms. </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
The absence of Franklin Graham from the prayer
service at Ground Zero speaks volumes. In another day, we would have expected
his father, Billy Graham, to be on that stage. Apparently some apples do fall
far from the tree. </div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-32996010380936745042015-07-01T11:41:00.000-07:002015-07-01T11:41:57.011-07:00"Loss of religious freedom" is the New Party Line<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Although the Christian Right continues to find objections to same-sex
marriage, the public at large continues to see through them. With a nearly 60%
approval across the polls, Americans are embracing the reality that gay love is
no different in substance from straight love. Here's how Justice Kennedy put it
in his majority opinion.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals
of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union,
two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners
in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past
death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the
idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply
that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be
condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest
institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The
Constitution grants them that right.</i> It is so ordered.</blockquote>
Now that their battle to stop marriage equality from becoming the law of the
land (as it is in seventeen other nations) is concluded here in the USA, an old
tactic is reemerging. The Christian Right is casting itself as an abused
minority whose religious freedoms are being attacked and abridged. Here are
some representative quotes from Republican presidential candidates.
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mike Huckabee: "The Supreme Court can no more repeal the laws of nature
and nature's God on marriage than it can the law of gravity. Under our
Constitution, the court cannot write a law, even though some cowardly
politicians will wave the white flag and accept it without realizing that they
are failing their sworn duty to reject abuses from the court. If accepted by
Congress and this President, this decision will be a serious blow to religious
liberty, which is the heart of the First Amendment."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Rick Santorum: "It is an increasing view that if you are not with this
new orthodoxy, the secularism that is now coming from the government, that
these are the values that the government values. If you don't live up to those
values, well then you can be persecuted and maybe even prosecuted for doing
so."</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bobby Jindal: "This decision will pave the way for an all out assault
against the religious freedom rights of Christians who disagree with this
decision. This ruling must not be used as pretext by Washington to erode our
right to religious liberty."</blockquote>
The essential argument is that one's religious beliefs should be protected
by the government. That any infringement on my ability to act in a manner my
beliefs demand is religious persecution. Therefore, my deeply held belief that
gay marriage is against the will of God protects me from having anything to do
with its practice.<br />
<br />
Of course, this seems like a perfectly legitimate concern. People should be
able to practice their religion as they see it. Yet, when specific situations
are given, the flaws in this reasoning become apparent.<br />
<br />
Whenever minorities are granted rights long withheld from them, the majority
loses some of theirs. Because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, hotels,
restaurants and other businesses that serve the public are no longer able to
discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or religion, regardless of what the
owners believe that "race mixing" is a sin. Gone are the
“Whites Only” counters, “restricted clubs” (no Jews allowed), and red-lined
neighborhoods. Most of us feel that whatever losses ensued are America's
gain.<br />
<br />
The Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage means life in
America will go on pretty much as usual, with the exception that LGBTs will no
longer be denied equal rights with the rest of us. So, yes, those wedding cake
bakers who serve the public whose religious belief would keep them from
marrying someone of the same sex, does not protect them from not serving a gay
couple.<br />
<br />
The blogs on the Religious Right are warning America that churches will lose
their tax-exempt status if they refuse to marry LGBTs. This is preposterous.
This is generally held by constitutional scholars to be a red herring. The
First Amendment of the US Constitution secures this as Justice Kennedy observed
in his Majority opinion.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to
religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction
that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First
Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper
protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so
central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to
continue the family structure they have long revered. The same is true of those
who oppose same-sex marriage for other reasons.</i></blockquote>
So, be prepared to counter these often hysterical reactions to the so-called loss of religious liberty. People of any faith or no faith will always be able to believe whatever they choose. They just won't be able to use their faith to limit the rights of any American because of them. <br />
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<![endif]-->Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-1268803707216094922015-06-27T12:16:00.000-07:002015-06-29T10:16:23.774-07:00Some Americans Need a Civics Lesson<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>A system of government that makes the People subordinate to a
committee of nine unelected lawyers does not deserve to be called a
democracy.<b> </b> </i><i> </i><i><span lang="X-NONE">~ </span></i><i><span lang="X-NONE"></span><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-style: normal;">Justice Antonin
Scalia</span></span><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoEndnoteReference"><span lang="X-NONE" style="color: black; font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 110%; mso-ansi-language: X-NONE; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: X-NONE;"></span></span></span></span></span></i><span class="NoSpacingChar"><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-style: normal;"></span></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoQuoteCxSpLast">
<span lang="X-NONE"> Justice Scalia, in his overwrought dissent to the SCOTUS decision to legalize same-sex marriage, provided the opposition with an increasingly used talking point: "five unelected lawyers."</span></div>
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<br />
Contrary to the wishes of those who were disappointed with SOCTUS's decision to make same-sex marriage the law of the land, and feel abused, the people DO NOT get to decide what’s constitutional
and what’s not. Fortunately, we live in a constitutional republic, not a pure
democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For in a pure democracy, if
51% of the people want to lop off the heads of the other 49%, for whatever
reason, it would happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
Constitution forbids majority coercion of the minority and in fact was created,
in no small part, to protect the rights of the minority.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Ironically (for Scalia, et al), if we were to let the people decide, the tide has turned and the majority of
Americans are now in favor of same-sex marriage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Most polls show about 60% approval. </span>Given their favorable attitude toward LGBTs,
when the Millennial generation assumes power, this will be a long forgotten era
of American history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as today when
young people are told of Jim Crow and the struggle for Civil Rights, and they
are mystified as how this could ever have been, so too will generations from
now find it hard to believe that gay people couldn’t get married.<br />
<br />
Today, Sen. Cruz showed his hand. As one of the most insistent that the Constitution should be the law of the land and interpreted according to literal and original meaning, he, nevertheless, said this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The only way I think to do so is to insist upon nominees who will follow
the law, who don’t view being on the federal bench as an invitation to
be a platonic philosopher-king, to have nine unelected lawyers decreeing
what our answer should be, what our policy position should be on every
hot button issue of the day. I think it is a much sounder approach to
say let the people decide, let’s vote on it...."</blockquote>
He was one of the first to echo Scalia's "unelected lawyers" verbage, but he was followed by many others. What are we to make of this, except that opponents either don't understand our system, which I rather doubt, or that they are willing to jettison their own first principles when their backs are up against the wall. In this case, the wall being a SCOTUS decision that will be virtually impossible to overturn. So does our Constitutional system of Court oversight only have meaning when we agree with it? God help America if that is the case. <br />
<br />
I will just say it as openly and unreservedly as I can. Homophobia makes people crazy.</div>
<div style="mso-element: endnote-list;">
</div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-8803339237549745402015-06-26T09:54:00.001-07:002015-06-26T09:54:52.344-07:00The Work for Full LGBT Equality Is Far from Over<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 13.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">The </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">history of the United States
can be summarized quite accurately as the slow but sure realization of the
vision of its founding document, the Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created equal."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The history of the Christian Church in America can be
summarized as the gradual and grudging accommodation of that realized vision. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">The
same Constitution that said “all men are created equal” also said, “Slaves
shall represent 3/5 of a human being.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also denied women the right to vote, gave states the freedom to
establish a religion, and upheld “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws, making
interracial marriages illegal and restricting immigration to maintain white
supremacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">The
founders had something in mind when they wrote the </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">Constitution, but it’s not the R<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">epublic
in which we now live. In fact, their prejudices went so deep that they didn’t
even feel the need to write “all white, landed, protestant, heterosexual, free
men are created equal.” Forget about their slaves, forget about people with
other creeds who would later emigrate, forget about women, forget about those
without land, forget about gay people—the only ones who had the right to vote,
and thus the right to participate in the building of this new republic, were
people </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><i><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">exactly</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">
like them. </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;">In
the intervening years, slavery has been abolished, women have been fully
emancipated and nonwhites have been given the full dignity of the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With today's announcement from the Supreme Court of the United States that same-sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states, the unalienable right to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness for all Americans is finally the realized dream of that
distant day in 1776.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt !msorm;"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-prop-change: "Rev\. Steven F\. Kindle" 20040522T1346;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">At least in theory. Racial prejudice remains today, as does the inequality of women in the workplace. Today's SCOTUS ruling elevated LGBTs, yet they still have to face workplace discrimination in the majority of states where they can be fired for being gay. Personal prejudices continue, as do religious sanctions barring them from membership in many churches. Gay bashing endangering the lives of LGBTs is still a reality. So, as much as I celebrate today's Court victory, I realize there is much work left to do. There will be, at least among the allies of the gay community, a feeling that we have reached the pinnacle of equality. Gays know better. Let's rejoice in the momentous decision, yes. But let us not retire to the comfort of the sidelines, because the work for full equality is far from over. </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-81318971086393787832015-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:002015-06-01T14:21:51.458-07:00Gays and The Problem of a Flat BibleOne saying that circulates among the more conservative biblical interpreters is "Let Scripture interpret Scripture." This is codified in such statements as <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">"v</span>erses must be in harmony with other verses on the same subject." It's based on certain assumptions that prove false, such as the notion that all the biblical writers mean the same thing when using the same terms. So that once a particular understanding is made, it is transported, intact, across the entire Bible. This has led some to describe this method as reading a flat Bible.<br />
<br />
The reality is that there is much argument going on in the Bible. Job argues with Deuteronomy. 1 and 2 Chronicles argues with 1 and 2 Kings. James argues with Paul. One topic that appears throughout the Bible is the nature of God. Is God a God of mercy or of vengeance? Many would say both, because the Bible depicts God as both. Yet it is clear that Jesus, by his life and death, rejected a God of vengeance. Yet the notion of a God of vengeance persists and is the staple of conservative Christianity. It's their basis for a fiery hell, legalistic judgment, and retributive justice.<br />
<br />
This is not a new issue for Christians. The first attempt to deal with it was the radical proposal of Marcion (2nd century CE) who claimed that the father of Jesus Christ was not the God of the Old Testament, and excised it from his Bible. He was (of course) declared a heretic. Yet the notion of a god wholly other than that described in Jesus persists.<br />
<br />
A new book from John Dominic Crossan, <i>How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian</i>, offers a fresh answer. Briefly summarized, it is that God is a God of distributive justice whose egalitarian dream for the world gets co-opted by human greed, which turns the biblical story (often) into a god who justifies vengence in its name. Crossan's challenge is to help us distinguish how the story gets corrupted in human hands. <br />
<br />
Here’s a quote from the book that puts much into perspective for me:
<br />
<blockquote>
If the Bible were all good-cop enthusiasm from God, we would have to treat it like textual unreality or utopian fantasy. If it were all about bad-cop vengeance from God, we would not need to justify, say, our last century. But it contains <i>both</i> the assertion of God’s radical dream for our world and our world’s very successful attempt to replace the divine dream with a human nightmare. </blockquote>
What Crossan attempts is to separate out the dream from the nightmare, even though both are couched in the name of God. How successful he is awaits a critical assessment. <br />
<br />
So, why is a blog dedicated to LGBT themes and issues dealing with this? Simply because (whether Crossan's approach is right or wrong) the reading of a "flat Bible" has proved harmful, over and over again, to LGBTs. So when certain texts that purport to condemn homosexuality are used to justify vengeful behavior, some believe they are acting with the approval of a vengeful god. <br />
<br />
Once, Mel White, author of <i>Stranger at the Gate</i>, was being interviewed on the radio. A caller quoted Lev. 20 to him and stated that, since Mel is gay, he should be executed. Annie Dillard's quote is particularly apt: "You know you have created God in your own image when it turns out he hates the same people you do."<br />
<br />
Although I am happy Crossan has tackled this subject with his usual scholarly detail, there is a simple way to cut to the chase. In my book, <i><a href="http://direct.energion.co/authors/authors-d-k/steve-kindle/im-right-and-youre-wrong" target="_blank">I'm Right and You're Wrong:Why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it</a>, </i>I propose using a "canon within the Canon." Jesus basically reduced all of the Old Testament to two useful propositions we term the two Great Commandments. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as yourself. If we use this to judge the value of any biblical statement, story, or conclusion, we will never be wrong.<br />
<br />
Jesus used it himself on several occasions. When a dispute arose over whether his disciples violated the Sabbath by working (harvesting corn for a meal), Jesus simply said, "The sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the sabbath." In other words, when a law, even as sacrosanct as the Sabbath, conflicted with human need or dignity, it need not be observed. Human rights trump any law that would subvert human need, whether it's in the Bible or not.<br />
<br />
Today we are beginning to understand that same-sex love is no different in quality from opposite-sex love. And that those who are attracted to those of their own sex are incapable (for the most part) of any meaningful relationship with one from the opposite sex. To deny them the right to love the one of their own choosing is to deny them of their human dignity and need. It is to deny them of their humanity. I don't think Jesus would approve, nor would his Father, regardless of how much you may want the god of vengeance to prevail. Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-5501150959967854872015-05-30T09:29:00.001-07:002015-05-30T09:32:21.616-07:00A Reader's Selection of Noteworthy Snipits<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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A reader of my book, <i>I'm Right and You're Wrong: Why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it</i>, submitted some of the remarks that are especially meaningful to him. I'd like to share them with you.<br />
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No, the world is not set up with us in mind. The child’s
whine that “It’s not fair!” is our first recognition of this reality. </div>
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Pluralism encourages understanding and celebrating
differences rather than anathematizing them as in the past. </div>
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None of us is born with perfect vision; we all suffer from
worldview myopia, and unlike physical eyesight, there is no corrective lens
that can make us comprehend the world perfectly. </div>
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Regardless of the theological positions held, they mostly
spring from one or more of the areas expressed in the Wesleyan Quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. How one finally interprets
the Bible is determined by which of the four is most emphasized. </div>
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Experience, for Wesley, was the verification of biblical
teaching in the lives of believers. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Among liberals was the belief that God is love. That is to
say, that love is not simply an attribute of God’s nature, but that the essence
of God’s being is love. This love means that God is primarily immanent, close
to the creation, rather than transcendent and remote. This produced a belief in
universalism, that God would not condemn anyone to a literal hell. A God who is
love would not, therefore, condemn all at birth (Original Sin), either. But it
is the idea of progress, that “every day, in every way, the world is getting
better and better,” that typifies liberal Christianity through the 19th
century. There was great optimism that a truly Christian society could be
created. Prosperity was at its highest, the Theory of Evolution was seen as
progressive and continuous improvement, the world was largely at peace, nature
was being subdued, medical advances were ending many diseases with the promise
of ending many more, and humanity was on the way to perfectibility. Sin, it
seemed, was no longer a useful description of the human predicament. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fundamentalists often fall prey to the notion that, “Since I
derived this meaning straight from the Bible, it is equal in force to the Bible
itself.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Liberalism, they argue, lost contact with the heart of the
Christian story in an effort to accommodate Modernism. It defined Christianity
in such a way that it became undifferentiated from a social movement, and
transitioned from a religion into a philosophy of religion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Progressive corrective is to reclaim the heart of the
biblical story as our story (admittedly reinterpreted), ground our theology in
the incarnation of God in Jesus, and return the church to be servants of the
world. It also sees the Bible and tradition as authoritative voices that must
be listened to critically, while understanding that both are human products,
full of wisdom as well as fraught with danger. The foundational belief that the
incarnation holds the interpretive clue to understanding ourselves, our world,
and God, leads many Progressives to Process Theology. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So our disagreements are less about what the Bible means
than with the various milieus from which they spring. Since there is no such
thing as a certifiably perfect milieu, we should welcome another’s
interpretation as a necessary contribution to the whole. The foregoing chapters
are intended to make this clear. Given this reality, we are better able to
address one another as an equal rather than as an “other.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When in Doubt, Shout!: Paradoxical Influences of Doubt on
Proselytizing.” [Note 3] Disagreeing can be either a learning experience for one or
both, or another way of missing the point of loving one’s neighbor as one’s
self. As Henry Neufeld put it, “You are never more God-like than when you open
your heart’s door to another person. The more different they are, the more
God-like that action is.” Neufeld’s understanding of God makes possible
such an outcome. Another view of God, much less grace-full, might wish for a
more violent outcome, as for those who want gays and lesbians executed in the
name of their God. Once again, what we take to the Bible informs what we take
out of the Bible. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not getting the Bible right in some of its particulars is
hardly on the level of not getting our lives right. It seems that some in
Matthew 25 got their lives right without knowing the particulars of why. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best that we can do is choose wisely among the options
and live with humility in the presence of others. Another way putting this is
that we listen to what to us sounds like the voice of God and subordinate all
other voices to it. We may as well, because that’s what we do anyway. Now it’s
official! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, the Holy Spirit is our teacher, but we can easily slip
into the error of believing that anything we think we understand is a direct
imparting from the Spirit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Follow the Golden Rule. Don’t allow differences of outcomes
to come between you and another created in the image of God. Always bear in
mind that you are not the one another is called to please. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Martin Buber taught us the difference between treating a
person as a human being (a Thou—one like yourself) or an object (an It—a thing
to be used). If our purpose in biblical discussion is to win someone
over, we no longer treat our conversationalist as a person, but as a thing to
dominate. If, on the other hand, our objective is to discover something valuable
and give our conversation partner an opportunity to teach us, we and our
partner are one, or I/ Thou. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We learn not to appear scholarly, or erudite, or to win
arguments, but to follow Jesus as a faithful disciple. That’s the difference
between being right and righteous. It’s also the point of why we study the
Bible in the first place. </div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-51351936918586072682015-04-24T11:44:00.000-07:002015-04-24T11:44:36.077-07:00STEWARDSHIP: God’s Way of Recreating the World (Steve Kindle) -- Review by Bob CornwallSTEWARDSHIP: God's Way of Recreating the World. (Topical Line Drives volume 18). By Steve Kindle. Gonzalez, FL: Energion Publications, 2015. 44 pages<br />
<br />
Every Sunday in my church one of the Elders will invite the congregation to consider their stewardship responsibilities. They may speak of the need to support the ministries of the church (though conveniently most leave out the fact that the pastor is a major expenditure), and perhaps they will expand the definition of stewardship to include our gifts and talents. The latter are non-monetary gifts, but they still largely benefit the congregation. Each year, in the month of November we will conduct a stewardship campaign. Normally I will begin and end the season with a stewardship sermon. I will talk about money but perhaps other elements of stewardship as well. We preachers dread the season of stewardship, because most of us don’t like to talk about money. Perhaps that is due in large part to the fact that we are the predominate beneficiaries of these gifts (that’s not a problem, it just uncomfortable to talk about). But is this all there is to stewardship?<br />
<br />
My friend and Disciples ministry colleague Steve Kindle suggests that stewardship has a much broader definition. The subtitle of this little book (just 35 pages of text that can be read in about 90 minutes) hints at the breadth of this broader definition. Stewardship has to do with “God’s way of recreating the world.” Stewardship, as a biblical concept, is guided by our prayer to do the will of God on earth as in heaven. While churches are struggling with budgets, declining membership, and identity questions, while individual Christians are seeking closer connections to God and each other, Steve suggests that “stewardship, comprehensively understood and applied, will lead a congregation and individual Christians out of these problems and into mature and effective relationships and significant ministry” (p. 3). The way to do this is to think globally, to think in terms of our relationship to God in the context of creation. Rather than being a program of the church, stewardship becomes our lifestyle.<br />
<br />
One of the key elements in this presentation, which could be transformative if taken seriously, is the message of Jubilee. Jubilee is Jesus’ own calling, as laid out in Luke 4, which picks up on the message of Isaiah 61, which is rooted in Leviticus 25. Jubilee is call for justice that lifts up the poor, the captive, and the imprisoned.<br />
<br />
While stewardship messages often focus on giving, including tithing, Steve turns this message on its head. The question is not how much to give, but how much to keep. Wealth in itself is not the problem, it is the way it is understood and used. Are we hoarders or are we givers? Do we put our trust in God or in that wealth? Part of this conversation is rooted in the question of community, and how we not only understand it but practice it. That is, congregations are not teaching stewardship as a way of life. Our problem is that our culture is so individualistic, that we find it difficult to be in true fellowship with each other. True stewardship, however, has as its goal the development of a sense of community where we live our lives for the sake of the other. Thus, “when life is lived this way, everyone wins, and so does the earth.” He writes further that when we base our decisions on how they affect others, from family to the earth itself, “life will be lived on its highest level” (p. 28). If we continue to see stewardship as simply a program designed to benefit the institution then it will not lead to transformation. But, if we change our focus, something amazing might happen.<br />
<br />
The book doesn’t have chapters in the traditional sense, but there are discernible sections that move us along toward the goal of seeing stewardship in its fullness. It closes with a stewardship sermon that takes up the insights and principles developed in the book to that point, including the principle of jubilee. For those of us who believe that government has an important role in bringing fairness to the world, Steve reminds us that as Christians, Jubilee is not a government program developed by politicians. It is a life we are called to live as followers of Jesus.<br />
<br />
So, what shall we make of this little book? Could engaging with its message be transformative? The only way to truly answer that is to read it in community and ask the question of how we can move from stewardship as a program of the church to a way of life that calls for us to join with God in recreating the world. With that in mind, I would recommend this book be read in community, perhaps a small group or a bible study setting. It could be useful for church leadership to read (as a Disciple I’m thinking of our Elders who are charged with teaching on stewardship on a weekly basis).<br />
<br />
There is a further benefit to be gained from broadening our understanding of stewardship—to do so can help overcome the belief among so many outside the church that all churches are concerned about is money. The offering we take, while essential to the ongoing work of the congregation, is not just a way of taking donations. It is more precisely a symbolic way of expressing our corporate commitment to joining in God’s work of recreating the world. To truly understand stewardship in this way can be transformative for church and Christian both, not to mention the earth!
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-650882889442891832015-04-15T18:18:00.001-07:002015-04-15T18:20:00.332-07:00From my publisher: "A Congregational Game-changer!"My latest book is now available. It's on stewardship, but not about money! Check it out here: <a href="http://direct.energion.co/authors/authors-d-k/steve-kindle/stewardship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://direct.energion.co/…/author…/steve-kindle/stewardship</a><br />
<br />
If your congregation reduces stewardship to a few weeks before pledge Sunday, this book will help reorient your mission to partnering with God to recreate the world. Here's a little taste of it from the Introduction:
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There is little disagreement that our world
is as close to self-destruction as it has ever been, humanity included. It is
unnecessary to list the wars, political conflicts, diseases, ecological disasters,
and the like; we are all too familiar with a daily rehearsal of our plight. What
there is little or no agreement on is the way out. How will we, as the human
race, (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">homo sapiens</i>, or “the wise
humans”) find our way out of our mutually shared predicament and into a world
of wholeness and abundance that the Hebrews named shalom? Is there any wisdom
available to us that can lead the way? </span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Jews and Christians have at their disposal a
wisdom that is comprehensive enough to meet the challenges of our time. We
understand this wisdom to be a gift from God as we have received it through the
Hebrew and Christian scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only problem is that we have abandoned it long ago. At least we in the West
have, who traded in our bountiful</span><span style="color: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">inheritance
for a mess of meager pottage known as the consumerist society<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7130850#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""></a>,
and the promotion of the individual over the greater good for all. </span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This book is a challenge and an appeal. Its
challenge is to reconnect with the ancient wisdom that first conceived of a
world after God’s own heart. Its appeal is to take up the mission we pray so
often, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s will for God’s creation is not hidden
or kept solely for the initiate. It is not beyond the ability of the lowliest
disciple or too inconsequential for the highest. To rediscover and then
implement our sapiential heritage is not only vital, it is our highest calling
as humans, and the way out of our current and continuing crisis. </span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a quick two-hour read, and only $<span style="font-family: inherit;">4.<span style="font-family: inherit;">99. Let me know what you think<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and if it would be good for a congregational study.</span></span></span></span> <a href="http://direct.energion.co/authors/authors-d-k/steve-kindle/stewardship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://direct.energion.co/…/author…/steve-kindle/stewardship</a><br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element: comment-list;">
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</div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-39282705760651864142015-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:002015-04-06T10:43:11.859-07:00Blogger Bob Cornwall Reviews My Book<h3 class="post-title entry-title">
</h3>
<div class="post-header">
</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U6GSZ14/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00U6GSZ14&linkCode=as2&tag=pondonafaitjo-20&linkId=AHQC6BB7W2EQIZC3">I'M RIGHT AND YOU'RE WRONG: Why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it (Topical Line Drives Book 16)</a>. </b> By Steve Kindle. Gonzalez, FL: Energion Publications, 2015. 44 pages. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U6GSZ14/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00U6GSZ14&linkCode=as2&tag=pondonafaitjo-20&linkId=AHQC6BB7W2EQIZC3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00U6GSZ14&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=pondonafaitjo-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=pondonafaitjo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00U6GSZ14" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div>
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Why are there so many different Christian denominations
and sects? The easy answer is that while Christians generally affirm
the authority of the Bible they disagree among themselves as to the
meaning and the application of that text. While Billy Graham would often
declare that "the Bible says" in reference to something he was trying
to say or prove. The fact is, whatever it was he was trying to say it
reflected not what the Bible “says” but his interpretation of the words
of the Bible. Issue after issue has come up through the centuries and
Christians have appealed to the Bible against each other. Paedobaptists
(those who baptize infants) have their texts, while believer Baptists
(those who baptize persons upon confession of faith) have their texts.
Since I’m part of a denomination that practices the later, I’m a bit
biased toward the biblical defense of believer baptism. </div>
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So, why do we disagree? We can’t we just all read the Bible and agree
to its meaning and move on? Life isn’t that easy—just look at the
different ways in which Americans read the U.S. Constitution. If you
think that the Supreme Court simply reads the Constitution and applies
it as it was originally intended without any bias present, then you may
find it difficult to understand why we have all these 5-4 decisions that
tend to be decided along ideological/partisan lines. What is true
there is true of the Bible. </div>
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<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a></div>
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Steve Kindle takes up the challenge of trying to make sense of all of
this in a very brief book that comes in at forty-four pages. While
Kindle can’t cover every issue, he does provide the starting point for
an important conversation about how we have come to read the Bible the
way we do and how we might have more fruitful conversations as
Christians. He does this in two ways. First he briefly takes us on a
historical journey through attempts to read and interpret the Bible,
introducing us to Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, Luther, and
more—all the way to the present. He brings to the reader’s attention
the various ways scripture has been read, from literal (face value) to
allegorical methods. He also notes the development and influence of
historical critical methodology. </div>
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</div>
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Having shared this history with us, he moves on to the question of why
we so often disagree in our interpretations. With this he lifts up the
question of world views. Again he must do this briefly, but one’s world
view will have important implications. Thus, if we accept an
evolutionary understanding of the universe’s beginnings and development,
including our own evolutionary development, then that will influence
how we read and understand creation stories and texts, among other
things. In this section he also notes theological starting points—from
evangelical to progressive. Of course, these categories often breakdown
when applied, but they give us a sense of theological foundations and
the way they influence our readings. Fundamentalists may read the Bible
with a greater degree of flatness than progressives, who differ from
liberals in that they may not be quite as committed to the dominant
world view of the day. Of course, there are Denominational differences
to take into account. Conservative Presbyterians and conservative
Baptists will differ on certain issues, despite their conservative, even
fundamentalist understandings. The same would be true of liberals in
both streams. </div>
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</div>
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The final chapter addresses the important question of how we might
address these differences in a way that will facilitate more
conversation and better understanding. The starting point here is
humility and a willingness to listen to the other. Steve writes:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 4.5pt;">
<span style="color: #990033;">Truly listening to each other is a
difficult task because it makes us vulnerable. Listening at its heart is
opening up oneself to the possibility of change. If we are not
vulnerable, we are not really listening. Humility is the willingness to
learn, the acknowledgement that not all is known, and the mark of a true
disciple.</span> [Kindle Locations 562-565]. </blockquote>
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If we start with humility, then the next step is to commit one’s self to
reading the biblical story in its complete context. With this in mind,
Kindle offers these suggestions as a guide to our conversations:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Adopt a prayerful attitude of listening to scripture: you are the disciple, it is the teacher. </span></i></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>Be open to discovery: Don’t tell the Bible what’s there; discover it for yourself. </i></span></li>
<li><i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Leave assumptions aside. </span><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></i></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -24px;"><i>Reserve your judgment: Hold your conclusions tentatively and mull them over for a period of time before camping on them.</i></span><span style="text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">(Kindle Locations 616-627). </span></li>
</ul>
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If we can keep in mind these guidelines, then the final thing is to
agree to live together despite our disagreements. It is easier, of
course, to be part of a denomination or congregation where everyone
agrees on everything, but that may mean missing out on important
insights. Serving as I do a congregation that has a pretty wide array of
views makes for an interesting life, but perhaps that is a healthy
place to be. </div>
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It is important, as Kindle makes clear, that we acknowledge our biases
when we come to the text. If we can do that then we might be able to
move forward in fruitful dialogue. That might not end the differences,
but at least it might lead to understanding. It may also allow us to be
more attentive to the text of Scripture and its implications for today. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Steve Kindle has done us a great favor by putting together this book.
It’s brief, as are the other books in this series (I’ve contributed
three of my own to the series), which are designed to be under fifty
pages in length. Because it is brief it doesn’t exhaust the topic. There
is plenty of opportunity to explore these issues further. That said,
it is a good place to start.</div>
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In conclusion to this review, let me say that I’ve known Steve Kindle
for more than a decade. We don’t agree on every issue, but we’ve had
many fruitful conversations. We’ve wrestled with texts together,
suggesting different ways of reading the text. Sometimes I’ve offered a
convincing perspective, sometimes he has. Often we end up agreeing to
disagree. Steve and I both started out in very conservative contexts –
he among the conservative wing of the Churches of Christ, while I was a
conservative evangelical/Pentecostal. We both moved left, though in some
ways he’s moved further left than have I. Both of us agree that we
need to listen to a wide spectrum of views, even as we hold to our own
deeply held convictions. So, what Steve and I have done in our
conversations down through the years, he is suggesting that others can
do as well. In the end, we do need each other. Take and read; you will
be blessed as a result. </div>
Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-60756348850896979132015-03-24T02:00:00.000-07:002015-03-24T08:07:19.092-07:00No, I Do Not Accept Your Apology, Dr. Bob Jones<br />
<a href="http://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/uncucumbered/bob_jones_finally_apologizes_for_saying_gays_should_be_stoned_to_death?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNewCivilRightsMovement+%28The+New+Civil+Rights+Movement%29" target="_blank">Thenewcivilrightsmovment.com</a> reports on a significant apology from one of the most outspoken anti-gay leaders in America.<br />
<br />
Thirty-five years ago, Dr. Bob Jones III, grandson of the founder and current chancellor of Bob Jones University, made this statement during a White House protest:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"But it would not be a bad idea to bring the swift justice today that
was brought in Israel’s day against murder and rape and homosexuality. I
guarantee it would solve the problem post-haste if homosexuals were
stoned, if murderers were immediately killed as the Bible commands."</span></span></blockquote>
Dr. Jones finally attempted an apology with these words:
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I take personal ownership for this inflammatory rhetoric. This
reckless statement was made in the heat of a political controversy 35
years ago. It is antithetical to my theology and my 50 years of
preaching a redeeming Christ who came into the world not to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Upon now reading
these long-forgotten words, they seem to me as words belonging to a
total stranger — were my name not attached. I cannot erase them, but
wish I could, because they do not represent the belief of my heart or
the content of my preaching. Neither before, nor since, that event in
1980 have I ever advocated the stoning of sinners." </span></span></blockquote>
BJ Unity, a movement in support of LGBTQI people who are harmed by Bob Jones University and other Fundamentalist Christian organizations, accepted his apology with this statement:
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"We are grateful that Bob Jones III has taken responsibility for
these words; words that have caused deep harm for many more people than
any of us knows. This means a lot to us because it represents the
beginning of a change in the rhetoric and conversation."</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<a href="http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/">Thenewcivilrightsmovement.com</a> asks if its readers accept this apology. I
do not and here's why. The entire statement of Dr. Jones is all about
Dr. Jones. He regrets these words because they don't represent <b>him</b>, they
are in opposition to <b>his </b>theology, <b>he </b>never preached such a sentiment, <b>
he </b>wishes they could be erased. Nowhere in his full statement is any
forgiveness even asked for. It is a statement of personal regret. <br />
<br />
But here's the main reason for not accepting this "apology." There is not one word in the <a href="http://blogs.bju.edu/pr/2015/03/21/former-bju-president-apologizes-1980-statement/" target="_blank">full statement</a> that addresses the LGBT community or even begins to acknowledge the tremendous harm begun thirty-five years ago that continues to this day. Not one word. When he finally gets around to the supposed apology, here's what he wrote:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I apologize for the reflection those remarks bring upon Jesus Christ,
Whom I love; Bob Jones University, which I have loved and served; and my
own personal testimony."</span></span></blockquote>
There you have it. His victims are invisible to him and remain outside his purview. The real people who initially bore the brunt of his remarks and their successors today remain invisible to him. His apology needs to be addressed to the very people he threatened with stoning. Until that happens, I'm sorry, Dr. Jones, I can't accept your feeble effort to redeem your conscience. It's too little, too late; not just for me, but mostly for your victims.Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-90957928428569562002015-03-23T02:00:00.000-07:002015-03-23T09:31:19.074-07:00Dr. David Alan Black Reviews My BookI just finished reading Steve Kindle's new book, <i><a href="http://direct.energion.co/authors/authors-d-k/steve-kindle/im-right-and-youre-wrong" target="_blank">I'm Right and You're Wrong: Why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it.</a></i><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NdoL26eXGOc/VQ9BT-hvHHI/AAAAAAAAAYw/833BXGqH8pI/s1600/Disagree%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NdoL26eXGOc/VQ9BT-hvHHI/AAAAAAAAAYw/833BXGqH8pI/s1600/Disagree%2Bcover.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a></div>
<br />
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</span></span></span>
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<span class="body14a"><b>
</b>"The current landscape of biblical
disagreement is literally worldwide," bemoans Steve, adding, "Many of us
think our way is superior to most, if not all" (p. 1). He's right of
course. I often ask my students this question: "If we have a perfect
source [the Bible] and a perfect teacher [the Holy Spirit], then why do
we disagree among ourselves so often?" The answer is obvious: It is <i>
we</i> who are not perfect. None of us ever thinks perfectly logically, nor
is any one of us ever completely filled with the Spirit. As Steve notes,
"Reason is never 'pure' reason; it is always a product of how we
perceive logic" (p. 17). </span></div>
<span class="body14a">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span class="body14a">What to do then? The book concludes with
many helpful suggestions, a few of which I mention here (my words, not
his):</span></div>
<br />
<span class="body14a">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
<ul><span class="body14a">
<li>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 100%;">
Be aware of our own attitudes and
presuppositions.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 100%;">
Recognize that some disagreement is
inevitable.</div>
</li>
<li>
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Let humility guide the discussion.
Always.</div>
</li>
<li>
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Read Scripture in light of its
historical context.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 100%;">
Let the Holy Spirit be our guide.</div>
</li>
<li>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 100%;">
Be open to change and even correction.</div>
</li>
<li>
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Be willing to agree to disagree for
the sake of the Gospel.</div>
</li>
</span></ul>
<span class="body14a">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span class="body14a">Steve notes that the goal is "...not to
appear scholarly, or erudite, or to win arguments, but to follow Jesus
as a faithful disciple" (p. 36). And that is a point, I think, on which
all of us can agree. </span><br />
</div>
<span class="body14a">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 100%;">
<span class="body14a">[Enegion Publication's] series is called <i>Topical Line
Drives</i>. This one hits it out of the park.</span><br />
<span class="body14a">*******************************************************************</span><br />
<span class="body14a"><br /></span>
<span class="body14a"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dr. Black is a world-class Greek scholar and author of one of the most popular texts in seminaries. He teaches at Southeast Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. His interest in my book is humbling. Here's the link to his blog: http://daveblackonline.com/blog.htm. You'll have to scroll down a ways, or use Ctrl f and search for Steve Kindle. </span></span></span></div>
<span class="body14a">
</span>Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-2767146968293544632015-03-20T17:43:00.000-07:002015-03-22T23:11:56.473-07:00Check Out My Latest Book--Please!As of last week, my new book,<i> I'm Right and You're Wrong: Why we disagree about the Bible and what to do about it</i>, was published by Energion Publications. Although it isn't specifically about LGBTQI issues, it goes a long way in explaining how people can, and do, differ on major biblical issues. Here's a little of the Introduction:
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How many times have you had a conversation with
someone that involved a disagreement over the Bible? And how many times have
these conversations led to interruptions of friendships or even extended family
disputes? Some of these disputes have split congregations. Even the more mild
disagreements can leave us perplexed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why is it that something so plain to one is so obviously unconvincing to
others? This often leads us to search for ways to convince others through
honing our interpretive skills, doing elaborate word studies, consulting
scholarly commentaries and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the end, however, people don’t easily change their minds, and we are left to
wonder why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This book differs from most in that rather than
looking at how to interpret the Bible properly, we’ll examine the sources of
disagreement among interpreters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all
have our own ways of trying to understand the Bible and they are close to our
hearts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of us think our way is
superior to most, if not all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we
will not venture into who is right and who is wrong in our
interpretations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What concerns us here
is why we interpret the way we do and what our attitude should be toward those
with whom we disagree.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
It's a short book. The average reader will finish it in about two hours. It's part of the Topical Line Drive series. The publisher describes books in this series as "direct and to the point...designed to demonstrate a point of scholarship or survey a topic directly, clearly, and and quickly." <br />
<br />
There is now and always has been serious disagreement among Christians. This will likely never change. Disagreement isn't a bad thing; it helps us think through our own positions, and reminds us that no one is capable of getting everything right. The problem with disagreement comes when we are so convinced of our own rightness that we diminish and even disdain all other interpretations. This book is an effort to understand how disagreements can be useful in bringing people together, not tearing them apart. It explains why we disagree, that it's almost impossible for any two people to see things exactly the same, and why humility is our best partner in interpretation.<br />
<br />
To see more about the book and how to order, here are a few links:<br />
<a href="http://direct.energion.co/authors/authors-d-k/steve-kindle" target="_blank">Energion Publications</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Im-Right-Youre-Wrong-disagree-ebook/dp/B00U6GSZ14/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426896508&sr=1-3&keywords=i%27m+right+and+you%27re+wrong" target="_blank">Amazon Books</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-right-and-youre-wrong-steve-kindle/1121314176?ean=9781631990991" target="_blank">Barns and Noble and Nook</a> <br />
<br />
It's available in softcover ($4.99) and in the Kindle Reader format. ($.99)<br />
Let me know what you think. <br />
<br />
<br />Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-79587615035982355632014-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:002014-01-28T07:32:16.176-08:00Let's Not Try to Pretty-up the BibleAlthough I will comment on timely issues that affect the LGBT community, mostly I flatter myself by contributing what might be called (at least by some) "think pieces." These are efforts to reframe or clarify issues of importance. By providing a different angle or detecting a nuance, we might be able to rethink a formerly held belief or position. At the very least, I hope to generate comments from other thinkers for our mutual benefit. Today's post is a case in point.<br />
<br />
Ever since translating the Bible began, from the Septuagint to modern translations, translators have obscured certain passages for a variety of reasons. Euphemisms abound. In the Hebrew Bible, the penis is referred to as "thigh," and of course, we're all familiar with "knew" as the substitute for sexual intercourse. In the New Testament, you'd never know that menstrual rags or castration are meant by "filthy rags"(Isa. 64:6) and "I would they were even cut off which trouble you." (Gal. 5:12) The NRSV actually says, "castrate themselves."<br />
<br />
There has always been a sensitivity by translators to tone down for propriety sake the very earthy parts of the Bible. But when it comes to actually changing the meaning of the texts, I will protest.<br />
<br />
Inclusive language, that is, the intentional use of "gender neutral" language, has generally been around since the 1960s. It first showed up in the churches as efforts to take the masculine meaning away from the concept of God. So instead of "God, when he...," for example, we hear "God, when God...," and the like. This is a very important move as we know that 1) God has no gender, and 2) worlds of meaning are created by words. The world created by "God, he..." easily became a world in which the male is elevated over the female. I am all for the use of gender neutral terms for God in all church settings including sermons, liturgies, and conversations. But when it comes to inclusive language in Bible translations, I must object.<br />
<br />
Inclusive language efforts try to take the offending aspects of gender and neutralize them. This goes beyond pronouns for God and includes "Parent" for "Father", substituting "members" for "brothers" when the entire congregation is meant, "they" replaces "he or she," and the like.<br />
<br />
Certainly this is a wholesome effort, but it actually makes the Bible less understandable and much less useful. How can that be?<br />
<br />
Since these efforts generally come out of the more progressive side of the church, the interest goes much farther than merely inclusive language. They recognize that Jesus' message of a God of love often gets lost in the mix of competing images. So they go about "helping" the Bible represent good theology. We'll see how the <i>Inclusive Bible </i>does this in a moment, but first here's 1 Corinthians 14:34-35: (New American Standard Version)<br />
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The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. (NASV)</blockquote>
I chose the NASV here because it is a well-known word-for-word translation to the point of being wooden. Anyone reading these verses would come face to face with biblical patriarchy (the family/state system of male dominance and subjection of women). Patriarchy is a biblical fact that runs "from cover to cover." Occasionally there is pushback such as Galatians 3:28, yet patriarchy is the dominate setting. Elders and deacons must be the husbands of one wife, making women ineligible to hold church offices in the "Pastoral Epistles." When the original 12 disciples had to replace Judas, the qualifications made sure a man was chosen. On and on we could go, but you know all this.<br />
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So, in an effort to combat the patriarchy of the Bible,and especially its negativity toward women, the <i>Inclusive Bible</i> takes it head on. Here's their translation of 1 Corinthians 14:34-35:<br />
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Only one spouse has permission to speak. The other is to remain silent, to keep in the background out of respect, and to wait his or her turn.</blockquote>
Surely this is the way we wish the Bible really had it, but it isn't. This is not how the original audience heard this text. Paul explicitly demands that women remain silent in church; this says exactly the opposite Even though the original sense offends many modern sensibilities, it's the real Bible. The <i>Inclusive Bible</i> is merely wishful thinking. Unfortunately, most of the recent translations offend in this regard to one degree or another. The intention is honorable, but the result is devastating to biblical understanding.<br />
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Perhaps a couple more illustrations of how some translations obscure troublesome passages would be helpful. Here's Matthew 18:15-17 from the New Revised Standard Version:<br />
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If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (NRSV)</blockquote>
"Member" here is literally, "brother." "Member" suggests that Matthew's church made no distinctions in disciplining males and females. This is, of course, how many would like for the church to conduct itself in all things. However, "brother" displays the actual situation where men stand in judgment of men. The disciplining of women fell to their fathers, husbands or brothers. But all of this is lost in the cleaned up version.<br />
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One more. One of the arguments that literalists make to oppose the Theory of Evolution is that Genesis 1 uses a phrase meaning reproduction is "after their kind," which is correctly translated. They take this to mean that all the species were created at once and that there could be no evolving of one into another. (Which, by the way, segregationist used "after their own kind" to argue that the races shouldn't intermarry.) So the NRSV translates it as "of every kind," which opens the door for natural selection.<br />
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We don't want to leave people with the impression that the Bible is not a worthy companion to help us find God and lead worthy lives. But we do want to warn that reading the Bible is not an easy thing, like reading the morning newspaper. We must learn to differentiate between the culturally derived aspects of the Bible that made sense in that day, but no longer makes sense for us. Someone once said that reading the Bible is like eating watermelon: you have to spit out a few seeds along the way.<br />
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When Paul said to "greet one another with a holy kiss," it's perfectly fine to give a hug or handshake today, instead. When in their culture women were subordinated, they are now free in ours. We are living into Paul's inclusive vision of Galatians 3:28 that<br />
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There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. </blockquote>
So, let's not try to pretty-up the Bible.<br />
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First, it's always better to deal with reality than what we would prefer reality to be. Sweeping the problems of the Bible under the rug accomplishes nothing. If you think that cleaning up the offending passages will cure literalists from enforcing patriarchy in their churches, think again. There will always be the King James Version.<br />
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Second, if we don't know that the Bible encourages patriarchy, tolerates slavery, subordinates women, and generally represents an outdated worldview, scientifically and otherwise, we lose the fact that it is the product of human beings. Yes, human beings who wrestled with what it means to be human in the presence of the Divine, but human nevertheless. That we can stand in judgment over the Bible comes from listening to all of it, warts and all, and learning to pick the wheat from the chaff. It doesn't take much to see that the "inerrant Bible" is a fiction, but not if it's cleaned up before we get there.<br />
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Third, the answer to the problem is not rewriting the Bible, it's in doing good theology. Perhaps knowing that even the original didn't always get it right will help us to understand <i>our</i> human attempts are also fraught with error and subject to revision as others look over our shoulders and make our paths straighter.<br />
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So let's live with the Bible as its authors intended. We can handle the seeds just fine.Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-38438664660862079772014-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:002014-01-23T00:30:01.051-08:00What the Bible Really Says: NOTHING<div style="text-align: center;">
(Okay, I cribbed this from my book. Maybe this will make you want to read more of it. </div>
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Just click on the book's cover on the left of the page and you will find it on Amazon.)</div>
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The ultimate recourse for those who want to keep homosexuality on the sins list is, “My Bible says....” The sentence generally ends with “...homosexuals are an abomination,” or, “...gays are going to hell,” or “…God hates gays.” This is intended to be the final word on the matter; the Bible has spoken, the issue is clear, we can move on to other things. How so? Because the Bible has spoken.<br />
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The Bible, of course says no such thing and I will prove it to you. Go get your Bible. (Yes, really--go get it.) Now, take it in your hands and bring it up to your eyes. Say to it very clearly, “Bible, tell me, what do you have to say about homosexuality?” If you don't hear anything, repeat your question; maybe louder this time. If there is still no answer, shake it; it may be taking a nap. Still hearing nothing? Well, that's all right, because if you do hear the Bible answering you may be on your way to a psychiatric hospital.<br />
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The Bible “says” nothing. It is an inert object, words on paper. It can’t utter a sound. Of course, you knew that all along, yet you may still want to repeat that the Bible says something. What is really going on is that people say the Bible says something; people speak on behalf of the Bible. The Bible is deaf and mute.<br />
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Unfortunately, people too often make what “the Bible says” what they want it to say. You see, there is no such thing as an uninterpreted reading of anything, from the daily newspaper to the Bible. All of us read (or “hear what it says”) though a filter or a lens. No one can read without one. Your filter/lens is everything that you have learned through your culture, ethnicity, gender, nationality, education...you get the point...that shapes how you perceive meaning. Every word you read or hear is processed through this filtering system. Everyone reads or hears the same word or words differently. Depending on how far apart our systems are, we can basically understand each other or totally misunderstand. In explaining this to an adult Sunday School class, one member said, “I can think of something we both read that needs no filtering, that is straightforward and immediately understood.” “Okay,” I said. “Let's have it.” He responded, “God is love.” I replied with, “What do you mean by 'God' and what do you mean by 'love'”? He got my point.<br />
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When it comes to reading the Bible, we have a two to three thousand year old bridge to cross. We need to be able to “hear” as though we were an immediate member of the culture of those ancients who created those biblical words. This is virtually impossible. The best we can do is approximate this; we will never actually achieve this. And even for those who were contemporaries, they had their own problems. Here's Peter’s comment on Paul's letters: “There are some things in them hard to understand.” (2 Peter 2:16) Indeed.<br />
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So the next time you are tempted to tell someone what the Bible says, why not be honest and tell them that you think this is what the Bible, properly interpreted, means. You will have achieved two things. First, you will have admitted that your interpretation is open to opinion (and that it is your opinion), and that you might be, dare I say it...wrong.<br />
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http://www.amazon.com/Marriage-Equality-Same-sex-marriage-church/dp/1484967127/ref=</div>
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for those of you reading this post by email</div>
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Steve Kindle</div>
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www.clergyunited.org</div>
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info@clergyunited.org</div>
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Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-71050187279529627292014-01-22T00:30:00.000-08:002015-01-01T09:26:35.839-08:00Biblical Ambiguity Is Our FriendOne of the findings of Bible publishing marketers is that people don’t actually read the Bible. Any pastor can verify that. America is biblically illiterate. Try as they might, their initial attempts to read it are met with elaborate argumentation (Romans), boredom (Leviticus), or the bizarre (Revelation). Some just stick to the tried and true (Psalms, Sermon on the Mount, John 3:16), or simply flip to a random passage and hope for a blessing. Most just give up altogether. But even though they no longer study the Bible, people think they should own one, which is the edge these marketers are exploiting.<br />
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Let’s face it, reading the Bible is not easy. It’s not arranged in a way that logically unfolds it meanings. We have to master biblical timelines, grapple with differing genres that require differing modes of interpretation, decipher unfamiliar practices, and try to understand foreign cultures and peoples. Add to this that the King James Version’s Elizabethan English is increasingly foreign territory to modern Americans, but still remains the bestselling Bible. Then there is the nagging problem of ambiguities in the text. We don’t like them.<br />
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Have you noticed that most of the translations in the last 25 years focus on “readability”? It’s a given that the Bible is just too complicated to let it remain complicated. So our beneficent translators set about to make the Bible understandable. Today a prospective purchaser has over 30 English translations to choose among.<br />
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Then there’s the “value added” Bibles that are marketed to specific demographics to solve their unique problems that the plain Bible can’t seem to provide. Here’s a great example of one directed to men (and it appears, manly men). The publisher writes:<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.fredstoeker.com/book/everymansbible.shtml">Every Man's Bible</a>:</i> A Bible for Every Battle Every Man Faces<br />
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Finally, a Bible that every ordinary guy—from truck drivers to lawyers—can call his own. This is a guy's type of Bible—straight talk about the challenges of life. Notes cover everything from work issues to relationships with women to common temptations guys face....Whether on your dashboard or on your desk, you'll want to keep the Every Man's Bible close at hand. It gives you real answers, real fast.</blockquote>
No demographic goes without its own specific issues resolved. There are study Bibles for teens, women, the addicted, athletes, minorities, college kids, defenders of the faith, Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, Liberals, children, and many, many more. All promise "real answers, real fast." Just what the doctor ordered. In this case, is it Dr. Faust?<br />
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People who depend on this approach to biblical understanding are exchanging their own search for personal truth for the tidy explanations that someone else delivers in a palatable package. They claim to make sense out of that confusing Bible for you. The end result is that people think they are getting biblical truth when, in fact, they are simply served up someone else's opinion. And they are still not reading the Bible. They are reading the sidebars, tables, charts, and "How to apply this to your life" explanations, but rarely the Bible. It's perfect for Americans who have lost patience with patience.<br />
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Biblical ambiguities are our friend. There is no need to explain them away. For when we do so, we lose touch with a necessary aspect of biblical and lived life. Not everything is easy, or immediately available. Often the explanations involved that "clear up" ambiguities are nothing more than veiled attempts to force theological or ideological opinions in the name of "Thus saith the Lord." I will provide just one example.<br />
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1 Corinthians 6:9-10 is a notoriously difficult passage to translate.<br />
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Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, <b>male prostitutes, sodomites</b>, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. (NRSV emphasis mine)</blockquote>
In an <a href="http://clergyunited.blogspot.com/search?q=1+Corinthians+6">earlier pos</a>t I dealt with the anachronism involved with"sodomites," a word not invented until 1000 years after the Corinthian letter was written. Nevertheless, some of the more recent translators are not content to let stand the ambiguity of just what or who these people, male prostitutes and sodomites, are. So this is how they clear it up, from the Common English Version:<br />
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Don’t you know that people who are unjust won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Those who are sexually immoral, those who worship false gods, adulterers, <b>both participants in same-sex intercourse</b>, thieves, the greedy, drunks, abusive people, and swindlers won’t inherit God’s kingdom. (emphasis mine)</blockquote>
There is a perfectly fine translation alternative to this speculation that now serves as a proof-text against homosexuality. "Male prostitutes and sodomites" can easily be translated "male temple prostitutes and those who use them." The ambiguity inherent in this and other passages forces us to dig deep into the biblical text for our answers. It reminds us that all our findings are of our own making and subject to all the restrictions and restraints humanity must bear. We are finite beings only touching the hem of the garment of absolute truth. To pretend otherwise is to dishonor not only the Bible, but the God who created ambiguity in the first place, to make us searchers after God, not imprisoners of the Divine Truth. Ambiguity is our friend; it keeps us human.<br />
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Steve Kindle<br />
www.clergyunited.org<br />
info@clergyunited.org<br />
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Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-72870529723724356342014-01-21T00:22:00.000-08:002014-01-21T09:46:21.530-08:00The Hope of the WorldNothing is more annoying than a “know-it-all.” I can vouch for the factuality of that statement because I was Exhibit One for many years. Know-it-alls are especially annoying to other know-it-alls. We can’t imagine that any in their right minds would disagree with us. Every now and then I fall back on my know-it-all brain, especially when I’m losing an argument. I then reacquaint myself with how annoying I can be.<br />
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Observing Congress over the tenure of the Obama administration makes me wonder if it isn’t a congress of know-it-alls. An ideologue, which Congress is filled with, is just another name for a know-it-all. These are people who are so sure of themselves they can’t bend a whit, for that would be compromising with what they know not to be the truth. So we have a Congress in national disgrace because they love their point of view, their ideology, more than they love the nation. (Some would even jeopardize the “full faith and credit of the United States” simply because they refuse to admit that some things are more important than a point of view.)<br />
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What’s going on in Congress now is a national teach-in on the need for humility. Humility is nothing more than the recognition that I am a finite human being and, as such, cannot know everything, and need others to temper my inadequacies. It is a teachable spirit, a seeker of answers in the midst of vexing questions. Humility in oneself allows us to respect differences with others, even to honor them. For if we lack humility, we lack the capacity to extend grace to our companions along the way. Extending grace is more than merely giving the benefit of a doubt; it is acknowledging our humanity by limiting our own sense of self-importance.<br />
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But even now, in a world filled with know-it-alls of all types, there is hope. Shades of gray are replacing simplistic patterns of black and white thinking. The Enlightenment notions of absolutes are giving way to relativity. The screams you hear that “the center will not hold,” come from those who depend on knowing it all and see their assurances fall, one by one. Humility is standing by preparing to replace knowing it all with being at one with all.<br />
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In this old world a new sense of itself is emerging. The New Physics is teaching us that all things are connected; that nothing is simply by itself; that everything depends upon everything else. “No man is an island,” and no one is “master of his own fate or the captain of his own soul.” We survive because we are connected and thrive because we recognize that reality. East meets West and rugged individualism is overcome by community. Taking our cue from Gandhi and King, we know that when one suffers, we all suffer, and when one overcomes, we all overcome.<br />
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In the religious context, this is working itself out in Interfaith dialogue. Rather than try to convert those of other faiths, we now prefer to understand them. The outcome is that with greater understanding comes a deeper sense of our own faiths and even the recognition that our differences are diminished and our commonalities enhanced. Those who see people of other faiths as objects to convert really don't see human beings. These are reduced to being merely statistics, and in the worst cases, trophies to display.<br />
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When people sit down with their gay and lesbian friends or family members, and be with them as people, not stereotypical objects, they discover a common humanity and that any differences that remain are rendered irrelevant. Some even come to celebrate them. But whether we are concerned about religion or sexual orientation, or any other issue, needing to be right will inevitably lead to being wrong.<br />
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My sense (call it faith if you will) is that God is orchestrating this Great Transition from me to we. The cosmos is realigning itself against the selfishness of me and mine toward us and ours. When the know-it-alls of the world finally learn that they don’t know the most basic truth of our day, that we need each other, a wholesome prosperity will cover our world, and even Congress will ignore the aisle that once divided a nation. And nation will not rise up against nation, and there will be war no more. This is the hope of the world.<br />
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Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-25774259257909254642014-01-20T01:00:00.000-08:002014-01-21T00:24:31.731-08:00Dr. King’s Beloved Community Is IncompleteAs we celebrate the life of one of America's most important figures today, it is incumbent upon us to honor not only the achievements of the man, but also the vision he set before us. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are we living into the world Dr. King had in mind and even gave his life to make possible?<br />
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The centerpiece of his vision he called the Beloved Community. It's not a stretch to compare it with Jesus' notion of the Kingdom of God, as both call for a community in which each participant lives for the well-being of the others. It is a community that has only one guiding rule, the Golden Rule, and one pursuit, love in action. In his most famous speech, "I Have a Dream," Dr. King set out to close the gap between our rhetoric and our deeds. He said, “I say to you my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal.”<br />
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Those of us who honor Dr. King and hold out the hope for one day realizing his dream surely recognize that the gap between America's words and deeds is yet to be closed. Although racism is still a factor in America, it is no longer privileged in polite society. Homophobia, on the other hand is, in the words of Harvard's Byrne Fone, "The last respectable bigotry in America."<br />
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Coretta Scott King, the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often said that, were he alive today, Dr. King would be working for LGBT equality. I personally heard her say much the same thing during a fund raising event in San Francisco shortly before she died. This begs a very fundamental question: How could she be so sure?<br />
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Let’s face it; the African American community lags way behind the rest of America in support of LGBT equality. Even though most of black clergy are solidly behind the Civil Rights Movement, they oppose gay equality. However, many prominent African American leaders are on record supporting it, including the Reverends Jesse Jackson, and Al Sharpton, and Rep. John Lewis.<br />
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Although the 1950s and 60s were not brimming with gay rights issues, Dr. King’s most trusted confidant and strategic thinker, Bayard Rustin, was gay, and this was known to King and his inner circle (to say nothing about J. Edgar Hoover and his smear campaign). It is inconceivable that he and Coretta did not have conversations about Bayard, and it is known that King felt his homosexuality should be a non-issue.<br />
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However, I believe Dr. King’s certain involvement in gay rights today was based solidly on bedrock beliefs he held which would have naturally led him to this position.<br />
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To begin with, Dr. King understood that oppression is oppression is oppression. That is, all oppression is of one kind and needs to be opposed whenever and wherever it is found. It has always confounded me that black leaders who understand their own oppression aren’t able to transfer it to others who are oppressed. Some think that this is because they feel that focusing on other issues diffuse and diminish their struggle. Others, such as the African American author Keith Boykin in his “One More River to Cross,” points to the general homophobia in the black community. Dr. King did not make this mistake.<br />
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Dr. King was an early postmodernist. He understood that all things are connected and rise and fall together. This is seen in one of his most famous utterances: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He further elaborated by saying,<br />
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It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. </blockquote>
Unless all things are connected to each other, this could not be true. It doesn't take much in the way of connecting the dots to go from civil rights to gay rights.<br />
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Mel White, the co-founder of Soulforce, who looks to Dr. King's nonviolent philosophy to guide his work, insists that the enemy of injustice is not a person or a people, but ignorance. That the dignity of those who would oppose justice for all people must be acknowledged and upheld at all times. You see, when you love your enemy, you no longer have an enemy. Dr King said that the pursuit of justice "is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit, and this type of love that can transform opposers into friend....It is this love that will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”<br />
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There is certainly much work yet to be done to complete Dr. King’s dream of the Beloved Community, and today should be a forthright call to remind ourselves of this. To ignore Dr. King’s commitment to removing all injustices, particularly the incomplete pursuit of gay rights, is not only to misunderstand that great man, but to dishonor his commitment of gaining justice for all.<br />
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Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-14140631480354630082014-01-17T17:54:00.001-08:002014-01-17T17:54:11.514-08:00Utah: American Bellwether?<span style="font-family: inherit;">A bellwether is one that serves as a leader or is a leading indicator of future trends. Wikipedia cites its origin: "The term is derived from the Middle English <i>bellewether</i> and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram (a wether) leading his flock of sheep. The movements of the flock could be noted by hearing the bell before the flock was in sight." Much attention is given to Ottawa County, Indiana every four years because it has predicted the outcome of every presidential race since 1964. As it goes, so goes the nation. California has the reputation for leading the country in innovative trends, from new fads to technological breakthroughs. Colorado may be taking that distinction away from it by being the first state to allow recreational marijuana use. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A new <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57391605-78/marriage-sex-percent-state.html.csp">poll</a> in Utah, conducted by its leading newspaper, The Salt Lake Tribune, suggests that America is fully ready to embrace LGBT equality. In a state whose majority population (58%) is Latter Day Saints (Mormans), the poll found it is evenly divided between 48% who favor granting same-sex marriage licenses and 48% who oppose it. It is clear that its decade old state ban on same-sex marriage would now likely be defeated if offered a vote. (A similar reality now obtains in California.) This is remarkable in that the LDS church is the leading voice against LGBT equality, and </span>aggressively<span style="font-family: inherit;"> inserts itself and its money all across the nation to defeat pro-gay advances. Nevertheless, Utah is about to cave. I see this as a leading indicator that not only is same-sex marriage inevitable, it's coming more quickly than anyone ever imagined. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fully 72% favor civil unions for same-sex couples. Before Colorado made recreational use of </span>marijuana<span style="font-family: inherit;"> legal, it first decriminalized it and allowed for medical use. Medical use is the gateway to decriminalization and decriminalization is the gateway to legalization. Similarly, the presence of same-sex civil unions leads to legalizing same-sex marriage. People eventually see the inherent inequality in civil unions, as LGBTs are obviously discriminated against in plain sight. Also the increased visibility of gays and lesbians in everyday situations soon breaks down the </span>pejorative<span style="font-family: inherit;"> stereotypes and are welcomed as normal and entitled to the same rights as everyone else. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This poll also puts to bed the unsupported but widespread belief that people don't change. Yes they do. In fact, 36% admitted that their views changed over time. So there is hope, nay, solid evidence that the future is bright, and not so distant after all.</span><br />
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Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-62683025747307812332014-01-09T10:08:00.000-08:002014-01-09T10:08:34.861-08:00When Does "Truth" become the Enemy of Love?Early in my adulthood, I was fascinated with a question that occupied my mind throughout my undergraduate and early graduate years. Which is the higher pursuit, love or truth? I came down hard on the truth side. My reasoning could be reduced to a simple thought--how do we know what to properly love unless it is grounded in truth? Not coincidentally, this logic informs much of the Fundamentalist/Evangelical thinking, of which I was very much a part.<br />
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Here's how this thinking works: Taking the meaning of love as an action, not an emotion, we are to "love one another." This means we are to behave toward one another as Jesus would, nurturing, sharing with, and protecting those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ. So far, so good. But soon an invidious question emerges: Who is my brother/sister in Christ? The purpose of this question is to make sure that we don't lavish our love on the unworthy (pearls before swine, as it were). Here, love is at the mercy of "truth." With "truth" as our guide, we soon are entrapped in a quagmire of a dualistic sense of the world: who's in/out, right/wrong, good/evil, friend/enemy, worthy/unworthy, on and on. The world is divided up largely between us and them and enemies abound. Perhaps the greatest fatality is the resultant inability to love one's enemies.<br />
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The seminary dean while I was getting my M. Div. loved to say that if he found a church closer to the truth than his, he would join it immediately. The criteria for such a church would be doctrinal purity or "more truth here." All other churches are deemed less truthful, and in some cases, the enemy of "truth." It seems that we cannot hold to grace in the presence of purity laws. Purity wins every time.<br />
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(Note: Yesterday's post explains why the pursuit of "truth" is elusive.)<br />
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But, how would the priority of love work? Can it inform what is true?<br />
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One of the texts that is used to support the priority of truth is Matthew 5:48, where Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect." Perfection is understood here as being perfectly in line with God's truth. But this is a gross misunderstanding of the meaning of perfect, as the context shows. Here's the full version:<br />
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<i>You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</i></blockquote>
Recently I was having coffee at a local coffee bar with a friend. We were sitting outdoors in an area frequented by homeless people looking for a little charity. One young lady happened by and hit us up for a little change. I had a loose couple of dollars and handed them over to her. My friend, whose generosity could make him poor, hesitated, sensing a ruse at work. (She said she was looking for money for meds, while sipping on a large "to go" drink.) I am fairly sure she lied to us. But I didn't care. There are no people unworthy of our help as this passage from the Sermon on the Mount shows. <i>for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. </i>Being perfect, therefore, is to behave by loving people the same way God does, indiscriminately, without eligibility tests of any kind. Being human and therefore a child of God is sufficient. That's the truth! (You can make your own application of how this pertains to LGBTs, I'm sure.)<br />
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<br />Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7130850.post-60379522304261986782014-01-08T11:13:00.003-08:002014-01-08T11:55:48.559-08:00The Problem with an Infallible Bible: You're Not!The late Harold Lindsell, a prominent Evangelical leader, stated that, "The very nature of inspiration renders the Bible infallible, which means that it cannot deceive us. It is inerrant in that it is not false, mistaken, or defective". (<i>The Battle for the Bible.</i> Zondervan, 1978, p.31) The key phrase, "it cannot deceive us," is the source of the problem. Couple this with biblical literalism and the problem is compounded. For those who believe in infallibility and literalism believe they can read it essentially without error. "The Bible cannot deceive me; therefore, I am not deceived."<br />
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You may have wondered why conservative Christians (mostly the leaders) are so sure of themselves. Well, this is part of the explanation. "I understand (literally) what the Bible says, so I have every right to conclude that it is the truth, and those who disagree with me are wrong." Wrong, even though they come from the same two understandings and approach the Bible the same way. Those who don't come from the same <i>a priori</i> starting point are wrong by definition.<br />
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Simply put, the problem with an infallible Bible is that for it to have any value, you need to be an infallible reader. Many have tried to wear the mantle of (practical) infallibility and crown their hubris by consigning to hell (in the most excessive examples) those who would disagree. The Roman Catholic Church relies on an infallible pope, although papal infallibility has been used only once since it was proclaimed in 1870 to make the Assumption of Mary into heaven an Article of faith.<br />
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The notion of Absolute Truth is also subject to the same problem of identifying just what it is. Since we are all, as humans, finite beings, we cannot comprehend Absolute Truth. We can only approach it. The absolute cannot dwell in the finite. This is not to say there is no Absolute Truth; only that it is not a helpful notion so long as we think knowing it is possible. So approaching the biblical text must be done in great humility, our conclusions must be open to adjustment at all times, and our openness to other points of view must be observed with respectful consideration. You may not end up with The Truth, but you will be practicing Christian charity. And that's a pathway to a more expansive understanding of the Bible than thinking you have already arrived will ever take you.Steve Kindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16634130965524334750noreply@blogger.com0