What is your view of scripture? If you are a child of the church, you have a crafted view – crafted by the traditions that formed you. Later in this chapter, we will consider some of these and the divergence from them presented in these pages. On the other hand, if you were not formed by the church, the chances are strong that you still have a firmly crafted view of scripture.
American cultural views vary. While the church may consider the canon of scripture to be that defined by the council of Laodicea 363 CE, this is not so with many others. Jews define scripture in terms of Torah (books of Moses) and, to a lesser extent to the writings and the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Islamic scripture is primarily the Koran. Hindu’s hold many writings sacred, depending upon the particular sect. In America, strongly patriotic people, without thinking about it, often add the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence to their repertoire of sacred texts. Whether we call it new age or some other term, there is a move toward what is loosely defined as spirituality. Spirituality often embraces many texts across cultures and makes little distinction between them. (To take a 70’s phrase, this approach may tend toward a ‘whatever turns you on’ approach to scripture’ – something that we may discover has it’s limits but is not all bad and is an approach that is not confined to one group. It’s just that those looking through the wide angle lens of spirituality embrace this approach openly). Others make a point to reject all sacred writings and in turn create their own inspired writings by following the popular trends of those books or philosophies which help them cope with their life – because, as Scott Peck wrote in the opening line of The Road Less Traveled, “Life is difficult.”
In reality, there’s not much difference in the philosophy expressed by Merle Haggard when he sang, “I’d rather be an Oakie from the Scokie” and more upscale approaches of associating Mother Earth and environmental causes. Each of these are attempts to find connection, community, a mantra, a Halakah (way of walking) or some means by which to measure our lives and the lives of others in a way that gives meaning. While some might call it justification, rationalization or some other indifferent term, it is something that we all do – every one of us – every human being. We find a world view that helps us cope or, as Uriah Heap of Charles Dickens’s novel who spoke of ‘humblin this and that’ as a way of ‘getting on’, it gives us a little power in a world where powerlessness appears to reign. For Christians, our world view is revealed to us in the scripture. Regretfully, if our view of scripture is skewed or misshapened, our world view will be inadequate.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his book, Life Together, "Let the one who is afraid to be alone with God beware." He continues this dialogue as a caution for those who only seek the "group" god or the god within their inner circle of friends. "Alone," we come to know God, he wrote. Even so, Bonhoeffer continues: "Let the one who is afraid of community beware." Just as we meet God alone, it is this God who drives us into the community, the body of believers, the church. Bonhoeffer states that we are not to treat the community as a therapy group but rather we are to offer our gifts to strengthen the community. Only when the whole is strong can the community of faith give the support for the individual that is so vital.
"The Bible is the church's book," stated James Saunders of Claremont. The scripture is best served and understood in the community of faith. It is not a book that can be fully understood in isolation from the body of Christ. And, this does not mean viewing scripture from the narrow lens of my little part of the body of Christ. No. It implies a dialogue with the church through the ages as well as the church of the age (now).
Sometimes, we in the church believe in believing in the Bible while paying little attention to the book itself. This can be tragic. And, it is the very reason that our views of scripture come out in the dismissive language of the earlier paragraphs in the previous blog.
Because the Bible is an eastern book, an ancient book, and a book expressed through human culture and language as well as a sacred text, it presents challenges to anyone seeking to understand it today. In the next blog, I will offer an approach to the scripture that may help us stay balanced, making the text more accessible and leading us closer to the God who is revealed to us through the scripture.
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