Bible Abuse

I’ve been thinking about the Bible a lot lately

and about Bible abuse

what is the Bible really

but a history of our attempts to understand God

a history

which

Biblically speaking

culminates in Jesus

(no disrespect to Paul, but seriously, he just tires to interpret Jesus,

 and sometimes nails it, and sometimes….. well….)

I love the Bible

but there is no doubt

that it is filled with stuff

that would make (did make) Jesus roll his eyes

stuff Jesus rejected

stuff Jesus amped up a notch,

or two or three

“you have heard it said, but I say”

when we try to make the primitive attempts of people

to understand God

the equivalent of what Jesus taught

we are totally screwed

caught in conflicting worlds

that just do not fit together

judgement versus grace

revenge versus forgiveness

punishment versus reconciliation

if you want to tell me that leveling Muslim communities

is OK

because after all, in the Old Testament it said the people of Israel

were to clear the land of all infidels

well I will suggest you may be abusing the Bible

of course there is the fact the Bible doesn't line up with other witnesses

For example Biblical archaeology

(are we going to reject that along with science)

suggests it took hundreds of years for Israel to control the “promised land

and the fact that for years

the people of God were marginalized refugees living up on the poorest land

the rocky and infertile land

while the “heathens” controlled the rich plains

but beyond facts

the reality is, the Bible is a document written by humans

through which the Sacred sometimes

often times

powerfully

shines through

 (with help from the Spirit)

and in the awkward attempts of people

to write down what they understand God

we find much richness

than can inform our lives

both positively (this is the way)

and negatively (nope, not a good idea)

I love the Bible

It informs me

It points me toward the Sacred

It reveals what is possible

But… it is full of things

Which

If we hang on to them

If we take them too rigidly

Will

Inexorably (as with the Pharisees)

Make us dead wrong

I love the Bible

I love God

I have nothing else to say!