The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination. But over the past few decades our Christianity, at least here in the United States, has become less and less fascinating. We have given the atheists less and less to disbelieve. And the sort of Christianity many of us have seen on TV and heard on the radio looks less and less like Jesus.
A recent study showed that the top three perceptions of Christians in the U. S. among young non-Christians are that Christians are 1) antigay, 2) judgmental, and 3) hypocritical. So what we have here is a bit of an image crisis, and much of that reputation is well deserved. That’s the ugly stuff. And that’s why I begin by saying that I’m sorry.
Now for the good news.
I want to invite you to consider that maybe the televangelists and street preachers are wrong — and that God really is love
Define love, if you please. “God so loved the world” enough to routinely decimate entire populations in a fit of pique. He razed cities, supposedly flooded the earth and continues to burn California periodically because people all over the world are having gay sex and people who are say they know say God hates that. They also say they know that God also hates abortion, but there isn’t a verse in the bible that can illustrate why.
I found a great book at a discount store today, The Oxford Companion to the Bible (1993 edition). In it, under the topic of abortion (page 4), it states that any preoccupation in ancient times with birth likely had to do with low fertility rates and infant mortality rates approaching 50%. A cultural predilection toward large families back then also might have something to do with it. Obviously his genes must be divine and inspired by god if so few of his kids died…
Alternatively, it can be argued that abortion was practiced without censure. Many women died in childbirth, a strong incentive to avoid carrying a pregnancy to term. Biblical legislation, as in Leviticus 27, 3-7, indicates that the lives of children as well as women were not valued as highly as those of adult men, while no value whatsoever was given to a child under the age of one month. There is no indication that a fetus had any status.
It also brings in Exodus 21:22-25.
The Hebrew text at v. 22 literally reads “and there is no harm,” implying that contrary to current sensibilities, the miscarriage itself was not considered serious injury. The monetary judgment given to the woman’s husband indicates that the woman’s experience of miscarriage is not of significance, and that the damage is considered to be one to property rather than to human life. This latter observation is further supported by the contrast with the penalties for harm to the woman herself.
The last paragraph deals with Christians who’ll also point to Genesis 1:28 – “Be fruitful and multiply” and Luke 1: 41-44 as further evidence “that a child is cognizant in the uterus.”
Back to Shane Claiborne and Esquire:
I did not choose to devote my life to Jesus because I was scared to death of hell or because I wanted crowns in heaven… but because he is good.
Define good.
For those of you who are on a sincere spiritual journey, I hope that you do not reject Christ because of Christians. We have always been a messed-up bunch, and somehow God has survived the embarrassing things we do in His name.
According to Malachi 2 (among others), God totally hates hypocrites. God survives, but can still decide to send hypocrites to hell. And, this is interesting:
Malachi 3 reminds us that God said “I am the Lord, I do not change.” The things God hates and loves are the same today as they have always been.
What he hates turns out to be hypocrisy, unfairness, divorce, and double talk. What he loves is truth, justice, reverence and obedience. “Obedience is KEEPING IN STEP WITH JESUS.” They thought caps were necessary, therefore I keep them.
Esquire again (sorry if it’s confusing)
I am convinced that the Christian Gospel has as much to do with this life as the next, and that the message of that Gospel is not just about going up when we die but about bringing God’s Kingdom down. It was Jesus who taught us to pray that God’s will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” On earth.
Exactly what is God’s will in this case? I think I’ll look that up for another post. Stay tuned.
