None of us is as wise as we think we are, and in our "wisdom" we can be very dangerous in what we advocate.
"they claimed to be wise." Romans 1:22 (NIV)
"Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too." Romans 1:32 (NLT)
In my studied opinion, it is not too much of an overstatement to say that the biblical narrative of who God is and What God is doing begins and ends with the comprehensive oneness that is a marriage. In both cases the consummation of the marriage results in a new creation, pro-creation in Genesis and new-creation in Revelation.
It’s a very beautiful thing. Just as man and woman are made for one another, so also heaven and earth are distinct and different from one another, yet made for one another.
The Bible actually concludes by comparing that which results in a New Creation (the eternal destiny of all believers) to the marriage of a man and a woman. Like wow!
If you are married, this is really, really big. And when you attend a wedding maybe knowing this will help you see something at work which is way, way bigger than a ceremony and a free meal.
Prayer
“Lord, it is amazing how the Bible, when rightly read, puts all things together in a way that makes sense of the world. Thank you. Help me to read it anew every day. Amen."
We live in a world where we can pick and choose our sources in ways that simply confirm our pre-existing beliefs and prejudices. When Pastor Jeff starts talking about what it means to "rightly read" the bible, or finds experts on "teen culture" he apparently feels a need to justify his own reading of scripture and it's take home messages. That is his job and their is much to learn from him.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it's generally a good idea for any church or church leader to be responsible to church authorities that have spent generations thinking about what it means to "rightly read" the Bible. Pastor Jeff and the elders of CLC seem quite determined to be their own authority. And, over the past several weeks, it is beginning to look like the CLC is becoming a cult around marriage. Marriage is a sacrament and obviously deserves some of the attention Pastor Jeff is giving it, but it also useful to remember that in the Catholic church, marriage is only 1 of 7 sacraments. Pastor Jeff is a serious student of the Bible, but I'd give the edge to Catholic tradition for a balanced biblical reading.
The ECO documents are quite thoughtful, but it's clear they have not settled the issue of authority in their fledgling denomination. Instead they talk about "theological friendships." Wow! More opportunity for picking and choosing others who support pre-existing beliefs and prejudices.
I've found this whole week of blogs and response comments to be quite upsetting... which is probably a good thing. I suspect the opposite of upset is complacent.
ReplyDeleteIn response to this first comment, one thing that seems clear to me is that Pastor Jeff's reading does align with generations of church authorities; it is the PCUSA that has gone against this authority and allowed new societal norms to substantially influence it's position on subjects like homosexuality, abortion and biblical authority. That said, the question for me is whether Paul's words on this subject (and subsequent teachings of the Church) were similarly influenced by societal norms and appropriate to their times but not ours.
Bob R.
A note to my 5th grade English teacher. I really did type "its" without the apostrophe, but the auto-correction feature foiled me. I will try to be more vigilant in the future. (Yes, I will write that 99 more times, but not on this blog.)
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