all the right answers
Today I spent some time drinking a beer with a friend of mine who at one point in our conversation called himself an Agnostic Theist. I found this to be an interesting term. He explained that he is at a point in his spiritual journey where he is searching for certainty at some level – even though he knows that there is very little in life that is certain.
I began to hear in his tone, and see on his face his feeling of disappointment in himself for being at a place where he is “questioning his faith” – this is what some call doubt. For many, doubt is not good. It represents a lack of faith. However, I do not believe this is the case. Indifference may be the opposite of faith. I think that faith and doubt are closely connected. As Frederick Buechner said, “Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith. It keeps it alive and moving.”
At one point in an expression of his doubt he said, “I don’t know what to think of the Bible. Every time I ask someone all they want to talk about is Special Revelation, Inspiration, how it was put together. I think it may all be crap. Maybe it was just writings from a bunch of people.”
We spent a good part of our time talking about the Bible. In the course of conversation 2 Timothy 3.16 came up. Paul says to Timothy in this verse, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” Many quote this verse in an effort to quell any conversation that raises questions about Scripture. This is done with the best of intentions, but we have to remember that this verse ends with a comma not a period.
Paul continues in verse 17 by saying, “so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Paul’s larger point is that the Bible is suitable for empowering God’s people to live in the ways of Jesus. So I asked my friend, “Do you think that we should ask the question, ‘Is the Bible valid from the standpoint that it is a book worth reading and following?’”
I asked this because so often we want to simply prove that the Bible came from God. We want to show that the Bible is direct or special revelation. Inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative are all adjectives that we use about the Bible – which the Bible never uses or communicates about itself – in an attempt to trust in the Bible.
However, maybe we should consider more than simply propositional statements about the Bible, and ask “What would a person look like who lived out the Bible?” This would be a tall order. Maybe we should ask, “What would a person look like who lived out Matthew 5-7?” What would our world be like if we obeyed these chapters?
People would be concerned about justice, hunger, poverty, the poor, the oppressed, and would be known for pursing peace. Anger would not be allowed to fester, but would be dealt with in short order. We would truly love our enemies – and we would not just say it. We would turn the other cheek to them, walk the extra mile, and give them everything if they needed it. We would not divorce or commit adultery or murder or call names. We would be generous. We would fast and pray in the most sincere ways. We would not be caught up in anxiety, nor would we be judgmental of others. And this is just three chapters.
These do not speak toward healthy familial relationships, welcoming the immigrant, living as a community, or living with an ethic of equality or liberation. When we begin to ask questions about what a life that embodied the truth that we say is in the Bible would look like it seems we arrive at a beautiful place.
It is no longer slick arguments. It is not large words that seem to all begin with the letter “i” that describe the Bible. It is not one simple verse about the Bible that is in the Bible that tells us how to view the Bible. It is not a catechism or confession. It is not one right answer or one correct interpretation. The words of the Bible, through the empowerment of God, once again become living and breathing as God’s people live them out.
As we finished our beer I told my friend that the Bible is about a God who is always going to where his people are. That maybe he should reframe where he is in life by seeing himself as one who follows Jesus, and at this point in his journey simply has a lot of questions. Maybe he like Thomas will be invited to touch the wounds of Jesus. It was almost as if Jesus invited Thomas to encounter his suffering – to continue the journey with him. Maybe this is his invitation to all of us – skeptic, agnostic, theist – to touch his wounds and journey with him.
I began to hear in his tone, and see on his face his feeling of disappointment in himself for being at a place where he is “questioning his faith” – this is what some call doubt. For many, doubt is not good. It represents a lack of faith. However, I do not believe this is the case. Indifference may be the opposite of faith. I think that faith and doubt are closely connected. As Frederick Buechner said, “Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith. It keeps it alive and moving.”
At one point in an expression of his doubt he said, “I don’t know what to think of the Bible. Every time I ask someone all they want to talk about is Special Revelation, Inspiration, how it was put together. I think it may all be crap. Maybe it was just writings from a bunch of people.”
We spent a good part of our time talking about the Bible. In the course of conversation 2 Timothy 3.16 came up. Paul says to Timothy in this verse, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” Many quote this verse in an effort to quell any conversation that raises questions about Scripture. This is done with the best of intentions, but we have to remember that this verse ends with a comma not a period.
Paul continues in verse 17 by saying, “so that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Paul’s larger point is that the Bible is suitable for empowering God’s people to live in the ways of Jesus. So I asked my friend, “Do you think that we should ask the question, ‘Is the Bible valid from the standpoint that it is a book worth reading and following?’”
I asked this because so often we want to simply prove that the Bible came from God. We want to show that the Bible is direct or special revelation. Inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative are all adjectives that we use about the Bible – which the Bible never uses or communicates about itself – in an attempt to trust in the Bible.
However, maybe we should consider more than simply propositional statements about the Bible, and ask “What would a person look like who lived out the Bible?” This would be a tall order. Maybe we should ask, “What would a person look like who lived out Matthew 5-7?” What would our world be like if we obeyed these chapters?
People would be concerned about justice, hunger, poverty, the poor, the oppressed, and would be known for pursing peace. Anger would not be allowed to fester, but would be dealt with in short order. We would truly love our enemies – and we would not just say it. We would turn the other cheek to them, walk the extra mile, and give them everything if they needed it. We would not divorce or commit adultery or murder or call names. We would be generous. We would fast and pray in the most sincere ways. We would not be caught up in anxiety, nor would we be judgmental of others. And this is just three chapters.
These do not speak toward healthy familial relationships, welcoming the immigrant, living as a community, or living with an ethic of equality or liberation. When we begin to ask questions about what a life that embodied the truth that we say is in the Bible would look like it seems we arrive at a beautiful place.
It is no longer slick arguments. It is not large words that seem to all begin with the letter “i” that describe the Bible. It is not one simple verse about the Bible that is in the Bible that tells us how to view the Bible. It is not a catechism or confession. It is not one right answer or one correct interpretation. The words of the Bible, through the empowerment of God, once again become living and breathing as God’s people live them out.
As we finished our beer I told my friend that the Bible is about a God who is always going to where his people are. That maybe he should reframe where he is in life by seeing himself as one who follows Jesus, and at this point in his journey simply has a lot of questions. Maybe he like Thomas will be invited to touch the wounds of Jesus. It was almost as if Jesus invited Thomas to encounter his suffering – to continue the journey with him. Maybe this is his invitation to all of us – skeptic, agnostic, theist – to touch his wounds and journey with him.