Pilgrimage Ponderings
Thoughts on the Bible
When I read the multitude of petitions to General Conference and see that in many cases good United Methodists are proposing entirely opposite things, it gets me thinking about how we make decisions.
Some folks believe that the Bible is an instruction manual with instructions for every thing that might come up. Their approach is to say that we make our decisions based primarily (if not solely) on those instructions.
I don't buy that.
Now don't get me wrong. I believe in the Bible. I believe in what the Bible teaches. But I don't read the Bible as an instruction manual. That doesn't work for me. I can't get past the reality that the Bible doesn't say one thing about nuclear weapons, DNA, computers, or multi-national corporations.
So any "instructions" from the Bible on these issues are actually going to be based, not on specific instructions in the Bible, but on my understanding of what the Bible tells us about what is important to God.
I happen to think that the Bible has a lot to teach us about what is important to God. And whenever I focus on what is important to God, I discover that I have much to repent from and seek God's forgiveness in. I have much in me that I need to allow God to change. That's not always a comfortable place to be. It would be much easier to come up with a list of instructions for people to follow and then look around and call attention to where I see them not being followed.
After all, then no one would be looking at me, and then I wouldn't have to think about where I fall short.
Stephen Taylor: Reading the DCA petitions made you think about how we read the Bible? Are you sure you've recovered? :) (02/26/08)