I am currently reading a very thought-provoking book called “Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity” by Bruce Bawer. It challenges a lot of our tightly held convictions by pointing to scripture, experience, and historical context. I highly recommend reading it, especially if you like to think and question.
One thing that really hit me was a passage from 1 Corinthians 13. We've all read and heard this chapter a million times. It is probably one of the most famous New Testament passages. But look at that last verse one more time: “There are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of the three is love”. Did you catch that? Love is greater than faith. Love transcends doubt. Love is the most everlasting “thing”.
Think about it, when asked what is the greatest commandment, Jesus says that it is to love God, and the second is to love your neighbor. Jesus did not preach a doctrine or a theology, he preached parables and did miracles. He walked in love and taught in love. His death on the cross and his resurrection are powerful symbols of God's love for his people – everyone.
Jesus ministered to and walked with outcasts while he was on this earth. He declared taxpayers and prostitutes to be closer to the kingdom of God than the righteous pharisees. And the kingdom of God was not just something in the afterlife, it was a powerful experience of living in God's love on earth.
I'm not even halfway through with this book, but it is simply amazing. Not because it preaches something new and different, but because it tells me what I already know in my heart to be true. Too often, we dismiss the power of the Holy Spirit and declare that we cannot trust our emotions or our logic. Nothing could be further from the truth. How else does the Holy Spirit live and work in us today? The Bible says that all men will be held accountable for their beliefs and actions because they know in their heart there is a God – God is present in nature and in our lives. What does specific doctrine and theology matter if a man or woman has the love of God in their hearts? Is not that person, that “social outcast” (outcast for not perhaps being a Christian in name) closer to the kingdom of God than those of us who are self-righteous?
Anywho, I've gone on long enough. Just wanted to give you some things to think about.
I'm still in Tennessee visiting family until Wednesday. Nothing too exciting has happened. I've mostly been doing a lot of reading, phone talking, and thinking about my fall plans. I'll try to give a more detailed update in the future.... Hope you all are well and enjoying the freedom of thought!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thanks for sharing, Sav! That book sounds really interesting! Actually, after reading your post, I just requested it from the library. haha. Looking forward to talking about it together! :)
ReplyDeletehey savanna! seriously, all the books you've been reading this summer sound really interesting hahah. this sounds like another book i might want to check out :)
ReplyDeletehmmm what you've been saying is interesting. i think that there's a really fine line we as Christians need to draw between being pharasaic (God did say, "i desire mercy, not sacrifices" in Hosea) and not going to the other extreme, but realizing that God's rules are there for a reason, and that much as Jesus did love the tax collectors and prostitutes, he also told the adulterous woman, "Then neither do I condemn you... Go now and leave your life of sin."(John 8:11)
but definitely, i agree that love is really important, and Christians often lose that in the midst of all these rules and regulations that are linked with Christianity, hahah. i was telling a friend the other day about how you can tell someone all you want, go to church on sunday, don't have sex before marriage, don't get drunk, don't cheat, don't lie, etc, but if God doesn't come and convince them with his love and his truth that he truly exists and he's worth our complete obedience, there's no way we would willingly want to follow all these rules and regulations.
hope you continue to have a great time at home! :)