I was recently recommended a book that I was told gives "the Christian view" on many pressing issues in our society. I am sure the book has great things to say, and I'm willing to bet that I would agree with a lot of it. But something in my spirit had trouble with the terminology. "The Christian view."? Is there one "Christian" or "biblical" view/position on all of society's issues? How can we claim to know what that is? I believe that the Bible is the word (about the Word) of God and that it is alive. It's alive because it's a story that plays itself out in our own stories, constantly revealing new truths and constantly demanding to be wrestled with. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the Bible can be and has been interpreted in many ways to fit many agendas, and I think it's dangerous to claim something as "THE biblical/Christian view". For example, I was working in the archives of JBC last year when I came across an article found in a popular Christian publication from the late 1800s. The article claimed a biblical/Christian view that was against women's rights to vote and women's rights to attend college. It equated women’s suffrage with communism and described higher education for females as “disgusting.” Had I been alive then and believed what I do today, would I have been considered "unChristian"? Unbiblical? This is why I find danger in claiming our interpreted views as divine truths. What do you think?
I was reading a book recently in which Toni Campole says, "...in one sense, all theologies are heresies." Why? Because they're all human, imperfect ideas of an incomprehensible, True God. And I believe that this True God is bigger than what we label "Christian." God made the world. And it was good. God does not exist in our doctrines and churches alone. Anywhere there is truth, there is God because God is Truth. As cliche as it is, "All truth is God's truth" and all truth is ours as children of God. I found a lot of truth in places I didn't expect to find it last semester. The Muslim culture for example isn’t “Christian”, but it is saturated with God and with many truths. Must we dismiss them all because they are “Islamic” and not “Christian”? My hope is to continue finding truths. And I believe that as long as my focus is on God and on following Jesus Christ, I will. If my focus is on our culturally-ingrained ideas, labels, and doctrines (which can be very good!) then I shrink God. And I miss the point.
C.S. Lewis said, "He Whom I bow to only knows to whom I bow when I attempt the ineffible Name, murmuring Thou..." In a way, I feel like I'm starting over with God. Have you ever been told about a person and without meeting them you make a lot of assumptions about who they are? Say for example that I introduce you to one of my friends named Sam. I've told you about Sam before, and you've heard certain stories about him so you meet with preconceived notions of who he is. Even after you meet him, you without realizing it fill in gaps and create an idea of who you believe him to be. You later realize that you were only meeting Sam in certain contexts and places, and that there was a lot more to Sam than you realized. Maybe what you knew of him was true, but you assumed a lot and therefore missed a lot. In a certain sense, I feel like I did this with God. To use another cliche, I often put God in a box without even knowing it. I want to go back to the beginning and meet God again without my preconceived and culturally-accepted ideas. I want him to speak for himself. Hello, God. My name is Danielle. But I guess you already knew that...
Hello God, my name is Natasha. I am with you so far Danielle dearest! this one makes me smile, and i kind of want to talk to you about something. however, i don't want to speak too soon SO I am going to keep reading on and thinking :)
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