Happy New Year friends! So much for us to talk about. My wife Kristen and I recently released our book The Zimzum of Love, my eCourse is up and running (it’s a series of films and lessons on finding joy and meaning in everyday life), an episode of my new television show recently premiered on the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (I’ll give you a heads up if it becomes available online), Richard Rohr and I are doing an event together in March, and of course we’re at part 75 of this What is the Bible? series.
75 parts. It went by so fast.
First, a number of you have been asking if this series will be available at some point in a more easily accessible form, like a PDF or a book. The answer is yes. We’re working on it, and we will have some news for you shortly.
Second, I’ve learned so much from your questions. You people are fascinating! I’ve tried to respond personally through Tumblr to each of you, but keeping up has been next to impossible. What I’ve observed interacting with you here on Tumblr is that there are generally two kinds of questions you are asking.
The first kind deals with the Bible itself-specific verses and words and concepts and passages and characters and sayings, the gist usually being something along the lines of
When it says ______, what does that mean?
These are great questions, and many of them I’ve found myself asking over the years, but here’s the thing: they’re endless. We’ll never get to the end of them. (I gave you a reading list of books and resources [Part 20] that can give you a ton of guidance in reading the Bible in a new way, I highly recommend trying some of the books.)
The second kind of questions you’re asking are less about the Bible and more about what it looks like to have a vibrant, humming spiritual life. They’re questions about faith, God, spirituality, meaning, transcendence, growth, how to deal with people who aren’t on the same journey that you are on, that sort of thing. Which, of course, means it’s time to start a podcast.
Or, if you’d like, a RobCast. (Please tell me you’re laughing. Be honest, at first you were like RobCast and you rolled your eyes. But it’s starting to grow on you, isn’t it? Say it with me now, RobCast.)
One of my intentions with this new podcast is to deal with these exact sort of questions you’re asking about what the spiritual life looks like in the modern world we find ourselves in. You can listen to the first one here. You can also subscribe at iTunes to get episodes automatically.
and you can send your questions for me to talk about on the podcast (RobCast!) to questions@robbell.com
I am so excited about this podcast. I continue to hear from so many of you who either used to listen to my teachings on the Mars Hill podcast or you simply feel alone, like you’re seeing things in a new way and you aren’t surrounded by people who are having the same kinds of insights. I want you to know that you are not alone, you’re not crazy, we’re in this together, and you really can have the kind of full and joyful life Jesus said we can have.
So, that said, back to the the Bible specific questions.
Today I’m going to be wrapping up this series in order to give the podcast the energy it needs. But before we’re done, I’m going to do my best to respond to your Bible questions….
davebrons said:
I’m enjoying your blogs Rob. I’m Christian who has lots of questions! If the Bible is simply an account about peoples understanding of God, why do you study it or hold it in higher esteem than a book that you or I could have written? …If you answer this in a later blog thats fine, I’ll keep reading. Just curious. Thanks for your time.
Hi Dave-the one thing I don’t say, especially in this series, is that the Bible is simply an account of people’s understanding of God. We start there, with the human dimension of people writing things down, but when you dive in to these writings you inevitably find yourself encountering more. In their experiences of God you often find your own experiences of the divine. Spirit. Life. God. love. Redemption. Calling. Grace. Salvation. There’s a reason this library has endured like has-for millions of us, we experience something greater going on in these pages, something that draws us deep in to the heart of ultimate reality, something that calms and centers and grounds us, showing us what the divine life looks like. It’s a book, but for many of us, it’s more than a book. That’s why people use phrases like the Word of God and inspiration when referring to the Bible. We find the same creative energy pulsing through the universe present in these stories and letters and gospels.
nabland said:
Rob- I’m having trouble understanding Matt. 6 where Jesus tells his audience to not worry about food or clothing. How can we not worry when people all over the world are starving? How can they read this scripture when their children are starving? It doesn’t feel credible.
It’s really important not to grab a line or two out of the Bible, read it in isolation, and then wonder why it’s so strange. Matthew 6 is in the flow of the Sermon on the Mount, an epic, brilliant series of teachings from Jesus on how the world works and how to live well, among other things. He begins by grounding us in the love and non-anxious presence of God. He teaches us how to be centered in the divine, living with calm, enduring trust. One of the many things that will happen as we begin to live this way is that things will take their proper perspective in our lives. We will see things more and more how God sees them, in healthy relationship to each other. And one of the most visceral ways we’ll experience this is that we will worry less. We will act when we need to act, and we will surrender those things we cannot control to a power greater than ourselves. It’s immensely credible, because it’s extraordinary wisdom on how we can each become the kind of person who actually can act in the world in generous ways. And of course, when you are more and more grounded in the love of God, you won’t be worried about the world’s problems because you’ll actually be doing something about them.
nabland said:
So Jeremiah 29:11 is occasionally quoted when individuals are struggling to find their way in life. However, the context of this passage seems to be corporate and not to an individual. I want to believe God has a plan for my life, but can passages like this be used to support that belief?
You’re right, people often quote that passage out of context. It was written to a group. The power of the passage is in its insistence that there is higher purpose and calling for your life, right? That’s the impulse and conviction behind the prophet’s words. So is it ok to be inspired by it? Sure. I am.
tjstelma said:
Rob - long time fan from the “old Mars building”. I’m really curious what’s behind the word “perish”, especially in texts such as “the big one” which is of course, John 3:16? It’s always used in such a divisive way…you know, the we’re right and you’re wrong blah blah blah crowd. I suspect there is more to it than the explanation of my old tribal theologians which is simply “separation from God after you die”. Thank you for what you do my brother from another mother. Keep it up dude.
You’re right, it is a strong word. It’s really strong in the original Greek. Jesus often uses really, really strong and pointed words to make his point. In Jewish consciousness, life and death are often present realities, meaning, you can be alive but not really living. Breathing, but not tapped in to the divine life God offers us all. The afterlife simply wasn’t that developed of a concept in the scriptures, people were much more concerned with how you live now. Jesus in the John 3 passage contrasts perishing with eternal life, which is a very Jewish way of talking of living right now in harmony with God. There is an urgency to his message that we are wise to take seriously. Life is precious, our decisions matter, and there are always consequences for the choices we make.
jangosclone said:
You seem to support homosexuality on the basis that God is for love and fidelity. But what do you do with all the places in the Bible that seem to clearly denounce it? I want to be okay with it, but can’t find the support for it. Help?
All right then, jangosclone, a bit of help…
First, some people are gay. They’re our friends and family and neighbors and coworkers and that’s who they are. I realize that this is a really, really obvious fact, but let’s start there. They’re not gay because they are deviant or destructive or trying to spread harm, they are who they are and it’s vitally important that we embrace and affirm them as they are.
When someone is told that who or how they are is wrong or deviant, it creates massive dissonance in the depth of their being. Especially if they are told that God is opposed to who they are. This is why suicide rates among gay teens are so tragically high. Sexuality is one of the most mysterious dimensions of our humanity, and to tell a young man or woman in their most formative years that there is something deeply wrong with them at the core of their being and if they are true to who they are they will bring the wrath and condemnation of the creator of universe upon them is a crushing weight no one should have to carry.
Second, it is normal and natural and healthy to want to spend your life with someone. In the Genesis story that begins the Bible, the storyteller wants us to see that something is wrong in the Garden of Eden. Long before anyone ate any fruit, things aren’t right. What is it that’s wrong? The man is alone.
Loneliness is one of the oldest aches in the bones of humanity. We want someone to share the journey with, someone to witness to our life, someone who will be there for us. We should not deny anyone the joy of sharing their life with a partner simply because they want to be with someone of the same gender. It is extremely important that we acknowledge gay marriage as a reflection of the natural, normal, healthy human desire to spend your life with someone. The world needs more-not less-fidelity, sacrifice, love and monogamy.
Third, let’s talk about the Bible. Before we get to the actual verses in the Bible that refer to same gender sex, it’s important that ask the question
Are the writers of the Bible talking about what we’re talking about?
Because in the ancient world they did not have the categories we do. There simply aren’t Hebrew or Greek or Latin words that correspond to our words. There were pagan temples with male prostitutes. There were gangs of men who wanted to rape male visitors to their village. There was every variation of promiscuity we can imagine. There were men who had coercive, nonconsensual sex with young boys. When the writers of the Bible refer to same gender sex, these are the practices they’re referring to-They aren’t talking about two people who are deeply committed to each other, being faithful to each other in a loving and monogamous relationship.
Next, the numbers. There are roughly 31,102 verses in the Bible. There are five or six or seven, depending on who you talk to, that refer to homosexuality.
Five. Or six. Or seven.
Out of 31,000.
Now, the verses. Lots and lots of work has been done interpreting and discussing the few verses in the Bible that do appear to address this topic. One of the best is Dale Martin’s book Sex and the Single Savior. A massive number of people have done great work here understanding the scriptures on this topic, a few of the best…
Here’s a great one from the fine folks at NALT
http://notalllikethat.org/taking-god-at-his-word-the-bible-and-homosexuality/
Here’s another
http://ecinc.org/clobber-passages/
And here’s another
http://epistle.us/hbarticles/clobber1.html
And here’s another
http://www.stjohnsmcc.org/new/BibleAbuse/Malakos.php
All of which leads me to a story. A man called me last week. He’s a pastor. He oversees several areas of the church he works in. In his role, he interacts with a number of volunteers. Two of his best volunteers are gay. The leaders of the church recently came to this man and told him it was his job to tell these two volunteers that they couldn’t serve in the church anymore because they’re gay. He shared this with them, they were devastated, and they left the church.
Let’s be very clear here: These people were told they can’t serve in a church-a church that gathers to honor and follow the Jesus who never said a thing about same sex relationships-because of how the leaders of this church have chosen to interpret 5 of the 31,000 verses in the Bible. This is wrong, sad, heartbreaking, and destructive.
And it will not survive. These attitudes, as robust as they appear from time to time, simply cannot withstand the inevitable forward momentum of spirit rolling across the ages, call us all to greater connection, love, compassion, and understanding.
Women didn’t use to be able to vote, but now they do. There’s used to be two drinking fountains for people with two different colors of skin, but now there’s only one. While this issue continues to be controversial for many, the truth is, it’s just a matter of time until everybody looks back and says Remember when that used to be an issue?
mysnowmanmelted said:
Hey Rob, love the blog. Especially the list of books you posted a while back. I’ve read a handful of them now and they’ve all been great. Anyways, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the nephilim. Not a whole lot of credible people say anything about them. A lot of UFO and conspiracy theorist enthusiasts seem to have a lot to say though…
Strange, isn’t it? And one of the things most compelling and maddening about the Bible is that you get a couple of verses and that’s it. There are, of course, lots of theories about this. What I find, well, funny, is that the writer assumes we know what he or she is talking about. As if giants and sons of God mating with daughters of men is, you know, average and ordinary.
What do I think? I think human history is way stranger and exotic than any one of us can begin to imagine. I think if we knew the truth about our ancestors, life in the universe, or other universes for that matter, it would blow our minds. If we were able to see just how thin the veil is between life as we know it and other dimensions, realms, worlds, etc-we’d be speechless.
jenfindingtruth said:
I am curious about the Devil’s role in the world. I tried to ask at church. No one could tell me. There is the story of him being a fallen angel, etc. I tried looking it up but all references I could find didn’t explain where he came from. The serpent in the creation story, Baalzebub in 2Kings1, 1Chronicles21, Job 1 & 2. Is it in the Bible that he is a fallen angel or is that story just folklore? Also, does he “exist” or is he supposed to represent our worst selves?
Great question. First, let’s start with evil. Evil is real. We see it all around us all the time. But in the scriptures, the story that gets told again and again is that evil simply does not have the last word. So it’s important to acknowledge the very real evil in the world without giving it more power than it deserves. Is Satan a personal being or simply a manifestation of the ego, luring us into all sorts of destructive action? I’ll answer that by going back to the word for Satan in the Hebrew scriptures which is Ha Satan, which literally translates The Accuser. Because that’s how it goes, doesn’t? We have a true self, an inner wisdom, a deep knowledge that we belong to God, that we are a child of God. And then these voices play in our heads, accusing us and questioning that awareness, causing us to doubt who we truly are. Don’t listen to that voice. Resist it. Trust that you are who Jesus keeps insisting you are. A loved, redeemed, child of God.
ericlsark said:
Maybe you’ve addressed this and I missed it… Romans 12 is such a challenge for me. “Do what is right in the eyes of EVERYONE?” And what’s the deal with “burning coals?” Is it GOOD for me to put them on the head of my enemies? Is the point of my kindness inflicting pain on my enemy, whom I should pray for? And why will I be rewarded for that? (Seems less-than-kind.) And what is “God’s wrath”? So many questions! This passage challenges me to no end! What insight do you have?
There’s on explanation I find fascinating-burning coals were how you started your fire to heat your food and keep you and your family warm. So if you’ve come back to your tent after a long day of work and your neighbor brings some of her burning coals over to your fire pit so that your fire gets started faster, that’s a good thing, a generous thing, a kind thing she’s done. I’ve read that people carried these burning coals in a metal dish on their heads. So heaping burning coals was an act of love and compassion. That’s one explanation.
As for doing right in the eyes of everyone, it also says in that passage to live at peace as much as possible. You do your best to live a life of integrity, knowing you can’t control how everyone will think about you.
As for wrath, one ancient philosopher translates the Greek word wrath “frustrated desire.” We might use the word longing. God’s longing for how the world could be…changes things, doesn’t it? Remember also that in the ancient world, and ours for that matter, a lot of people live(d) with the terror that the divine forces were upset with them, waiting to bring judgment and condemnation at the slightest infraction. Natural disasters, disease-it was all seen as coming from the gods, who are angry. You often see remnants of this language in the Bible, as the idea begins to emerge from within this understanding that the gods aren’t angry, but through Christ this God has made peace with the world. Which was, of course, a mind blowing idea at the time.
joelskinc said:
My question is about Numbers 5:11-31. I know that the old testament was pretty jacked up and people then were “a few hairs from being baboons” (Lewis Black) but when I first read this passage I was pretty horrified. So… God’s chill with this? Or better, Gods spokes people are chill with following through with this? Why isn’t this ever mentioned or spoken about?
Great question, and one of the reasons why I started this series in the first place: you have to read the Bible differently than that. The Bible reflects growing human consciousness. Asking if God is chill with it misses what the Bible is. It’s people recording their experiences, interpreting them as they went. Yes, that passage is horrifying, that’s how people saw the world at that time. Which leads us to a better question: Why do you find it horrifying? You find it horrifying because you see things differently. You are living later in the story. The answer is in Lewis Black’s joke: The story is moving forward. Granted, it often seems to be a few steps forward, then a few steps back, but just the fact that you find that passage pretty jacked up shows us that you are living in a day and age when that sort of thing simply isn’t practiced in most of the world. How is that? What is it that is pulling things forward? Why are you more evolved? What is that force moving in human history?
rbryan314 said:
So the questions on my mind are: How did everything get so backwards? Why aren’t things moving forward faster? Why are so may backwards theologies thriving? … (I could ask a million more like these) Perhaps these questions are on my mind more than others because I attend a 25,000 student college and have stopped searching for a community with a similar take on things because I can’t stand another soul crushing “worship” service that denies the very mystery at the heart of it all.
Oh man, I feel for you. First, it’s not backwards. It’s more simple than that: it isn’t forwards. Get it? The whole thing is moving forward, but not at the same speed. You’ve grasped something, seen something, tasted something ahead of the dominant center of gravity of the community you’re living in. And it hurts, doesn’t it? It’s lonely. But here’s what you need to know: You aren’t alone. There are millions of us. So here’s what you may need to do: You may need to stop going to services that crush your soul. You have only yourself to blame for that. Stop it. If it doesn’t feed your soul, then why would you go?
haydenjamesbrowne said:
How do we reconcile the peaceful loving, forgiving Jesus with the more violent language he sometimes uses like Matthew 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword…”
Imagine you live in the deep south in the 60‘s and you become friends with someone who has a different skin color than you do and you realize that you are equals. You begin to see this person as your brother or sister, and as your friendship grows and you hear how they see the world, you become more and more convicted that it’s wrong for a restaurant to have two drinking fountains. You find yourself more and more passionate about how unjust segregated schools are. So you begin sharing your newfound convictions with your extended family, who happen to be white and see nothing wrong with the way things are.
The new insights and convictions you have are good, correct? They’re more enlightened and loving, aren’t they? And yet what will your newfound illumination bring to your family? Will they readily accept your new beliefs, or will there be resistance?
You’ll probably have conflict, won’t you? They may tell you you’re crazy. They may say all kinds of horribly racist things in the process.
Do you see how a good thing can be a sword of sorts?
isplainasjane said:
Your post today enlightened and inspired as always. Thankful!My question. I am working on some stuff together about the mother/daughter relationship, it’s significance and complexities. I find scripture on father/son (duh) and mother/son (again duh), and even some unsettling stuff on father/daughter. But with the exception of one or two brief mentions, I find a lack regarding Mather/daughter. Am I missing something?? Seems like it’s a pretty significant human relationship.
Yes it is! You aren’t missing anything, the Bible is. The Bible appears to have been written mostly by men, and so what we find missing reflects the times it was written in, times in which the father/son relationship dominated. Which makes the Bible all the more surprising and progressive when you read a book like Ruth, which is an entire book about a mother-in-law and her two daughters, who drive the action.
cliobob said:
How do you define righteous? For example James 5:16 - “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” In some other verses it seems that righteous people are “full of themselves”. Help.
Ah yes, righteous. When you talk about full of themselves, you’re talking about self-righteous people who bloat their ego at the expense of others. People who feel higher about themselves by making others lower. Righteous, on the other hand, true righteousness, is when someone is so grounded in the love and grace of God that the divine flows through them to those around them. They often don’t have to say a thing, because when you’re with them you’re aware of it. You’ve been around these kinds of people, right? Another way to say it is they’re lined up well. They living in the larger flow of God. Now here’s the interesting thing: The people that you admire, that walk with God, that have compassionate strength and aren’t judgmental and live with integrity, they don’t announce it, do they? And of course you want them praying for you, directing their best intentions and will and energy toward you for your well being-of course that will be effective, how could it not?
peregrnus said:
Hello, I love your insight and the way you express things. It’s quite an art how you can explain things understandably to the un-initiated, and at the same time blow the minds of the old-hats like me, and make me feel un-initiated again. And free!! Mmmm…. Freedom. Anyway. I’m trying to get my head around tithing/giving/budgetting/money all the palava. Can you link me to some of the teaching you’ve probably already done several times? Thanks Bud.
Sure. Give when and what you can because of the joy it brings you. Don’t make it more complicated than it is. Lots of people for thousands of years have given a portion off the top of what they earned simply because it’s good for the soul. Sometimes you’re in debt, and you’re drowning, and the first thing you need to do is get out of debt. Other times you have way more than you could ever need or spend or use, and you know that if you don’t start giving it away something bad will happen to your soul and your joy. Other times there’s someone right in front of you that needs what you have and so you give it to them because what else would you do?
So relax. Give what and when you can because of the joy it brings you. And be free.
hptftu said:
I have heard WAY too many times: God gave us law to expose our sins, but that has never sat well with me. It seems to me that if I told my son that his room had to be perfectly clean at all times in order to earn my favor- then proceeded to point out that he would never be able to earn my favor in order to show him how gracious I was; that would make me a jerk, not father of the year. Will you please help me through this? Thanks!
Yep, that would not get you father of the year. There is another way to think of it: the law is about possibilities…
Think about sports-will anyone ever play the perfect game? No, never. Great, good, incredible, but not perfect. And yet people still play sports, and practice and watch film and get coaching. It’s the pursuit that shapes you and forms you and pulls things out of you you never knew were in you. And if you’re a sports fan like I am, watching someone give themselves to their craft is a thrill to watch. The idea of a perfect game or perfect painting or piece of art or riding the perfect wave has a powerful pull on the heart, not to bring us down, but to elevate our consciousness. To give us an idea of just what might be possible.
So as a dad, you tell your son about having a clean room not to bring him down but because you know that the cleaner and more organized his life is, the more he can flourish. The law then, points him to a great good, one that he can give himself to. And here’s the thing: you are on his side. All you ever want for him is to thrive and be happy and satisfied. And whether he makes his bed or not, cleans his room or not, you’re there, helping him figure it all out.
storiesandfingerprintsblog said:
Greetings! I want to ask about how you reconcile a passage with your ideas around the bible as a collection- a library that reveals Gods nature and character. You propose that (as I understand it) as cultural conscience evolves, Gods character and nature are revealed in ways that update, even subjugate, what is older, less evolved. In other words what one individual perceives of God in 700bc can be superceded by what a more aware person perceives in 65ad. 2 Peter 1:20-21. How do you read it?
Slowly, and carefully, because it’s an awesome passage. The writer is essentially saying “Listen, this whole Jesus movement has been in the works from the very beginning!” Amazing. The seeds were there from early on? Really? Incredible.
But it’s actually a very natural human impulse. Think about someone who’s really, really good at what they do. How do we describe them? We say It’s like they were meant to do this. When we say that, what we’re doing is reaching back into the past and implying that the present was already back there in embryonic form, it just needed time to come into fullness.
fearfulwonderfulmonster said:
Whenever you have time to return to writing more What is the Bible posts, will you discuss 2 Peter? (Everyone seems to have really passionate feelings about that letter!)
Let’s do it. What Peter claims is that you have everything you need. Right now. You are lacking nothing. In this moment. It’s enough. If you read his letter and miss this opening point he makes and want to make the letter about an argument or debate whatever theological topic someone tells you the letter is about, then you’ve missed the massive, resounding, awesome thing he writes right there at the beginning, which is that we can be participants in the divine nature. How great is that? You have everything you need, right now.
ashleypatriciahames said:
Rob, I am dying to hear from you on the Sermon on the Mount. Particularly, I’m struggling with Matt 5:17-20, where Jesus is telling his disciples about the Law. He says He’s coming to fulfill it? To make sure every single rule is followed, and anyone who relaxes the rules will be called “least in the kingdom of heaven”??? This is hard to swallow, and hard to understand. Help?
Think of the word fulfill like this- I came to put flesh and blood on it. Or to put it another way I came to make it speak. The law was words, lists, commands, things to do and not to do. Jesus is essentially saying I came to show you what it looks like in actual flesh and blood when someone lives the full life God intends for all of us.
Don’t think of it as hard to swallow, think of it as a beautiful claim about human potential. God is on your side, leveraging the universe for your joy and thriving. Not in a self-helpy way, but in a If God is for us, who can be against us way!
lgbduff said:
Hi Rob, I love this blog. So helpful. Thank you. I think about this story (giving pearls to swine) differently, e.g.: Last year of college, I wrote a thesis for a tough professor. I gave it my all, of respect for him and for the topic, but my final grade was mediocre. When I talked to him about it, he got mad and accused me of plagiarism! I often do my best for the sake of goodness, but sometimes people throw it in my face. To me, these people are the dogs of the parable. What do you think?
I don’t read it that way. I think Jesus is specifically talking about all of the ways we try to control people through giving them good things, but things they aren’t ready for and can’t appreciate and so it’s more about our need to control them than it is their growth and thriving. Your story about the professor is something very different. I don’t think your professor is the dog of this parable, and I definitely don’t think you should tell your professor that you think he’s the dog in this parable. Haha.
logzie said:
You rock buddy! After reading love wins, watching a documentary called “hellbound” and doing a ton of other research. I am really leaning towards a view that all people will be saved in the end, it really makes sense in the big picture. Now some are saying that it is totally heretical and that if I take that view that I am no longer a Christian. That seems ridiculous to me! Some great thinkers held this view. Origen, gregory of nyssa, william barclay, etc. Am I crazy???
Here’s the truth logzie: No one knows. You are speculating. So is everyone else. It’s just a discussion. No one has died and come back to tell us how it works. (Interesting, isn’t it, that in the gospels when the writers tells us about Jesus after his resurrection he doesn’t talk at all about what’s going to happen when you die?) But it matters because this speculation reveals what kind of God you believe is behind it all. And the truth is, when people tell you that billions of human beings are going to suffer forever, that’s not good news, no matter what Bible verses they quote. That’s a horror story.
I’m with you, and Origen, and millions of others, the story we’re telling should lead us to the best ending ever, right?
chrismartin777 said:
Can you tell me if Rob has anything in print, audio, or video that discusses God as light? I would love to have it if it’s available. Thanks!
I don’t. So let’s do a little now, shall we? You’ll often hear people talk about the battle between darkness and light. Which is real, and a powerful way of talking about conflict in the world. But the two aren’t battling it out, ultimately, because darkness is simply the absence of light. In reality, there’s light, and then there’s not light. To imply that the two are locked in battle with a giant question mark as to who will win misses the essence of light, which is something altogether different than darkness. It’s all light, in the end. You with me?
skandalid:
Hey Rob, I’ve been reading through the old testament, and i can’t help but be troubled by the way God interacts with his people, especially when he commands the Levites to go through the camp killing men, women, and children, and when he commends Phinehas for spearing the couple in the tent. I know they’re disobedient and all, but God doesn’t seem to treat them with understanding and compassion but rather with vengeance and violence. How can this be reconciled with a God who is “slow to anger”?
You should be troubled. Those stories are awful.
First, the Bible was written by people.
Real people, living in real places, in real times. Obvious, but absolutely necessary as a starting point in any discussion about the Bible. The first five books of the Bible weren’t edited together as we known them until the Babylonian captivity, the gospel writers had particular communities they were telling their stories to, and the story of David and Goliath is significantly shaped by a particular technology that had just come on the scene.
Second, the Bible reflects the perspectives, understandings, and consciousness of the people who wrote it.
Once again, this is very straightforward, but needs repeating. When you read that God told someone to kill a group of people, that’s how people at that time understood things. You’re reading their perspective. Which is limited, to say the least.
Third, the Bible, then, contains an arc, a trajectory, a movement within it’s pages.
The earlier the writing, the earlier the perspective. We read it as an ongoing story, once that reflects ongoing human growth and development.
Which leads us to the question of how this particular library of books came to be called The Bible: People decided over a period of time that the Bible is, well, the Bible.
They had a process, they had criteria, and they made decisions about which books belong in what is called the canon. Different Christian traditions differ on which books are included, and you can read the books that weren’t included according to the various traditions.
All this to say, when you read the Bible you have to start with the humanity of this library of books. You start there, with real people in real places at real times. Whatever else you may believe about the Bible-that it’s inspired, that it’s the Word of God, that it has authority, that it’s more than just a group of books-you have to begin with the actual people who actually wrote things down.
Sometimes people say that parts of the Bible are primitive and barbaric as if this is a new or insightful observation. Of course it is. That’s how people saw the world at that time.
Have you always seen the world exactly as you do now?
No, you haven’t. You’ve grown. If we were to record things you’ve said over the years and then read them in chronological order, we would (hopefully) see growth and maturity and development. So read the Bible through that lens, and you’ll see the spirit moving in it’s pages, bringing us all along.
knm5232 asked:
I discovered your blog yesterday and it’s just amazing. I just finished part 24- so I may be getting ahead of myself. But, you kept emphasizing that the last word has not been spoken. I’m 20, and since I was a child, I’ve been told that my generation would see the end of the world. Whether it be alien invasion, global warming, ocean expansion, nuclear war… the rapture. We’re gonna die. How do you find hope and trust in God with that kind of fear and hopelessness always being amplified?
Don’t listen to fear and hopeless. Seriously, don’t listen to it. Block those voices out. How would anyone know that your generation would see the end of the world? No one knows that. Jesus even said he had no idea about those sorts of things, so, you know, you’re in good company. There’s a much better question for you to ask: What is my part to play? Ask yourself that, figure it out, and then do your work in the world. Nothing quelches fear and hopelessness more than acting for the good of the world.
travisdixonvasqu:
I feel as though the bible is too complex. Even in the stories of Christ there are so many unknown facts to me and this just drives me insane because I feel that if I don’t know the full truth then how can I believe with all my heart?? Does God expect me to understand everything at some point or is it ok for me not know everything? I mean I go to bible study and I read your blogs, I also try to read for myself but it all just seems so complicated.
Okay travisdixonvasqu, here’s the deal: Life is complex. Your problem isn’t with the Bible, your problem is with life. It’s really complex. So let’s start with the basics: You’re breathing. Right? You have a habit of this, right? Excellent. Every breath is a gift from God. You have received this extraordinary gift from God called life. Begin with gratitude. Because you’re here, and that’s a miracle. Now, when have you felt most alive, most full of joy, most aware that it’s all a gift? Think about that long and hard. Take note. Because your job is to go where the life is. Listen to your life. Let it speak to you. Trust that you reflect the divine image, that your life matters, that everything is connected, and that your life is going somewhere. It’s complex, but it’s also really, really simple.
And one more from the rabbi:
rabbipatrick:
Hey rob. I’m a progressive rabbi in Atlanta. Really love your work. Everything Is Spiritual made me cry and your tumblr bible book is really slick. I’m currently in the hospital for MS, and your work is keeping me positive. Just letting you know a nice Jew boy appreciates ya. I like to think we work for the same boss, just different departments. I wish you shalom v’simcha in your holiday!
Love right back at you Rabbi Patrick!
Start at Part 1 of this Series