I have been applying for jobs with churches lately. it's become kind of a hobby. When I get to work, I do a fewq things and then I go to a couple web-sites that post jobs for youth pastors. I apply fro a couple a day. I got a questionaire from a church in phoenix today. I am contemplating whether or not to fill it out because they ask questions to find out what I think on some issues. I think they won't like my answers. This is what my post is about tonight. The first thing they ask me is about my conversion experience. This is not in and of itself a bad question, but the fact that it's the first question tells me something about the church. The next questions are about personality types. I wonder if they are hoping for my personality type to be one that will help me make more converts. What would that be? and is that necessarily wrong? Then they want to know about my "call to ministry". Should I make something up here or say that we are all called to ministry and that I just so happen to not do anything else well. Is that a call? Do they want somebody reallt confident in their "skills" who will lead the ministry like our biblical patriarchs?
Pretty loaded picture eh? Either you're a good American or you question everything and oppose America. Those liberals with their propoganda. I tried to up-load a different one, but couldn't figure out how to work it. Now to the issue of authority. They next list their Statement of Faith. I have seen a lot of these and think they are good to have. After all, you don't want your youth pastor to practice satanism or sacrifice animals during youth night. But here is something they want their youth pastor to believe in, "The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life". That's a lot of capital letters.
1. What does "without error int he original writings" mean? Do we have the original writings? The answer is "No". How can I comment on whether or not the original writings have an errors? What would an error constitute? Is a pencil smudge an error or something beautiful that gives the work some character? Is a wrinkled scroll an error? What is perfection? Was the garden perfect? Will things be perfect in heaven? Even a perfect game in baseball isn't truly perfect. We have said no hits or walks is a perfect game. It allows for the pitcher to throw balls. These things are beutiful. Maybe not perfect. Do I believe that scripture is "perfect and without error"? Maybe. Maybe not... But it's beautiful.
2. The teachings are important and all we have to go on besides our common sense and what our fellow man has deemed good. Thes ethings put together and the work of the Holy Spirit are what guide us in our living and behavior. "the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life". I hope we don't use the interpretation of the N.T. that the American church of the 1800's used. Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone. Maybe I just don't get what the big deal is. I realize this has an important part to play in the church of today, but maybe there is more to it that interprating scripture. Maybe one of you Bible scholars can set me back on course, but there are parts of the scriptures that I will never teach on because I don't get them or becuase I think they go against the teachings of Christ. Oh crap, I just lost two of the 3 people who read my blog. What are Jesus' thoguhts on the destruction of humanity during the flood? Where does he stand on the issue of Saddam and Gamorrah? On the slaughter and destruction of Cannan? I would love to read a book on these issues by a scholar explaining how Jesus would be for these things. It would be great bathroom reading material.
So... once again, I got authority issues. I don't trust the authority of the Bible nor the white men who formed the cannon. But I think the Bible is a beutiful work of art written and formed by men seeking the truth. Men like me and men like you (or women like you). Can that be good enough?
10 comments:
Great post christian. I really understood your thoughts and you developed them nicely. It's tough isn't it? those loaded questions that so many people think are black and white when really they were never meant to have a color at all. maybe they were just meant to be what they are, you know? I think our human propensity to seek after perfection has gotten in the way of our better persuit of seeking after truth. You bring up so many good points that I wonder if our parents had the balls to wonder. I remember talking with my dad about the authority of scripture one time in college: He told me to read the front of the book and see what it said. I read all the components of the board of biblical scholars that brought it together, and at the time it seemed fine. It seemed perfectly acceptable to trust this group of scholars with their interpretation of the ancient texts. When I began to grow more though, I realized most of these members of that decision making thing had maybe 2-4 yrs of hebrew and 2 years of greek! I wouldn't want anyone trusting my interpretations of spanish and I studied it for over 6 years! you know what I mean? I totally agree that I don't think believing the bible may or maynot have errors in it makes it any less valid or beautiful or useful for teaching. but...what the !*%% do I know?
"Then they want to know about my "call to ministry". Should I make something up here or say that we are all called to ministry and that I just so happen to not do anything else well. Is that a call?"
Wow. that's kind of a strong and really true statement....one that i forget. we ARE all called to ministry...hmmmm....i wonder what that looks like for me. Jodi? Do you think that your "call to ministry" changed when you had kids? Sometimes, I feel like I should be doing more, but that would mean sacrificing time with our kids....and so I don't really do much of anything, except be a mom....I wonder if that is a lame excuse to not be doing more....what do you think? Sorry Christian, i know this is your post, but I want the mom's perspective here. Thanks for the reminder.
Yeah, I totally struggle with that Karla. It's my daily consuming thought, what is my identity? My "call to ministry"? I definately believe it's healthier for our kids to see that we are individuals as well as wives and mothers, but I wonder how much of the "other" needs to be right now, like you say. because if we're not with our kids, someone else is and why should we be paying someone else to raise our kids so we can have our individuality. THere is a huge portion of our individuality, it seems to me, that is naturally sacrificed when we venture into motherhood/fatherhood. There's a certain amount of that which occurs when we get married as well.
I think I think that there's only one mission though, one call, for all of us...how we play it out in our lives may vary greatly, but it's still the same mission, same call.
Anyway, I think that's what I think. At least for now.
The whole idea of scripture as being inerrant in the original texts is difficult to even discuss. We as the average person to adhere to this, but most people don't know what it's asking. In fact, it is only more recently that the average person has begun thinking about how the bible was actually written in other languages.
One, we don't have the original texts, so we do our best to determine from the texts we have what the original sources said. Two, what does it mean to be inerrant? Does that mean all the details are correct. That's what most people would think it means, but that's really not the case. It simply means that the Scriptures were written as God intended them to be.
Of course then you get to the issue of how the cannon was formed and how does one determine that it was an inspired process? And did you know that there are actually a number of different cannons? i'm not just talking about the Catholic apocrypha either.
For me, it comes down to this...i choose to believe that the Scriptures are inspired by God and as accurate as he intended them to be. i choose to accept this not because it is self-evident or because a group of guys i don't know anything about determined which books were inspired, but because i don't have the ability to determine what was inspired and what wasn't. Therefore, i feel i must accept the whole thing as God's word, though not understanding all of it or even liking all of it, and yet also not trying to explain away the difficult aspects of it with some clever facts and twists of plot.
i do feel that the inspiration issue is big, because without it we are forced to pick and choose what is actually God's Word and what isn't, and i don't trust myself or anyone else in that process.
And they say i'm liberal? i really am a conservative, damn it! And if people keep calling me liberal i'm going to burn my bra in protest!!!
"For me, it comes down to this...i choose to believe that the Scriptures are inspired by God and as accurate as he intended them to be. i choose to accept this not because it is self-evident or because a group of guys i don't know anything about determined which books were inspired, but because i don't have the ability to determine what was inspired and what wasn't. Therefore, i feel i must accept the whole thing as God's word"...
Wow. Keith hwat does this mean for somebody who questions inspiration? I think this is the most difficult thing in all of Christianity to believe if it's true. I think there must be another answer than this. Forever the church has kind of demanded we believe in inspiration and innnerancy which makes me even more skeptical. Can we trust the Church with anything having to do with what is right? The answer is NO. (me included). Time after time we have fucked things up. For me to believe that one time we got things right would indeed be a miracle. Forget the resurection, or any of Christ's miracles this is hands down the most unbelievable thing the church will ask of us to believe.
That feels better to admit how I feel. So, now what? Is there hope for soembosy who doesn't believe this? God I hope so. I will teach from the scriptures and love the scriptures and pass that on through my passions for it, but will not teach that it is inspired or innerant. It simply does not change what I believe and I don't think it needs to. While you're burning your bra, I'll be burning in hell.
i don't think people in hell really burn.
i'm not sure what it means. i suppose only you can know that. i guess it means you continue to live out of your convictions and understanding. You can't force yourself to accept something just for the sake of accepting it if it goes against your convictions.
can you post more, please?
don't you hate it when people write that on YOUR blog? i do....but i keep checking yours, and it is the same! :) Having said that, do what you want, it is your blog! :)
woops, those last comments were me, white rabbit's wife....karla
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