CHRISTIANS GET ACCUSED of cherry-picking the Bible.
Have you ever picked cherries?
You pick the ones that are ripe and juicy. You leave the ones that are rotten and wormy.
Bible cherries Christians love to chew on
- “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
- “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
We can deal with this stuff.
Bible cherries Christians can’t swallow
- “Do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:39).
- “Those who use the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).
But when a drone strike takes out a terrorist leader, Christians celebrate with non-Christians. One big happy party.
Atheist and comedian Bill Maher accuses Christians of “lawyering the Bible” to find loopholes around Jesus.
We want to read “pray for your enemy” as something we do after we blow them up.
I wonder if there might be any value to admitting that Mr. Maher is right.
We simply say yes, there are parts of the Bible we believe, but don’t live.
For many Christians, they can believe that Paul meant what he said when he declared homosexuality unnatural (Romans 1:26) and sinful (1 Corinthians 6:9).
But those Christians know homosexuals and they believe that the sexual orientation of those folks is natural to them, regardless of what Paul said.
So they disregard Paul and they regard homosexuals.
They don’t pick Paul’s cherry off the tree.
In the same way, Christians who want nothing more than to see drones taking out terrorists disregard Jesus’ pacifist cherries hanging in the tree.
Would it
- damage Christianity
- or bring a sense of honesty to Christianity
if we simply admitted that there are commandments in the Bible we refuse to practice for one reason or another?
Or should we go back to lawyering the Bible, defending what seems to amount to a rewrite – and sometimes an absolute reversal?
The reason I’m thinking about this is because my Bible study group is currently in a series of lessons that talk about the tough side of being a Christian. I assigned myself the topic “We get a bad press.”
So I’ve been looking at the criticisms that non-Christians make about Christians.
And some of the toughest criticisms I’ve read seem justified.
So they need a response.
Even if the response is, “I know it’s in the Bible. I have great respect for the Bible. But that is just something I’m not willing to practice.”
This topic is pretty doggone close to some others I’ve covered – which got me in trouble:
The more I study the Bible and the more I work with people who have grown up in the church, the more I realize that some longtime Christians simply don’t want to think about it.
They believe what they believe.
They really don’t want anyone telling them different: preacher, teacher, or the Bible.
So when they get confronted, they
- clam up
- steam up
- or blow up.
Some, however, manage to calm down and think about it.
Your comments truly make me think. I’m sure you’re part of a VERY lively Life Group/Bible Study. Sometimes I think we get more out of our Life Group than the actual Sunday lesson.
Thanks for sharing your insight. Your books and blogs have helped me strengthen my desire to read the Bible more.
Yes, it’s a pretty lively Bible study group with people who are very tradition minded and others who are very progressive in their outlook.
Good for you, Stephen, good for you! It’s very pleasing to see that somebody — you, in this case, — is willing to address the hard side of being a Christian. The subtle but steady slide into feel good Christianity has worried me very much. I do not claim to understand all of the stories and instruction in either the Old or New Testaments, but do have faith in the authors and the inspiration God gave them. I simply live by the words in Hebrews 11:1 “And what is faith? Faith gives substance to our hopes, and makes us certain of realities we do not see.” (NEB). Maher is right, as was Gandhi. We who take our Christianity seriously have a lot of 21st century soul searching to do.
It’s as though we like to stick our toe into Christianity, and not take the plunge. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of faith, or common sense, or perhaps a lack of confidence in the Bible we hold in our hands. The Bible clearly tells us to jump, but perhaps it’s appropriate to consider how those words were processed, interpreted, and translated. Not to mention the question of who wrote the material, since most of the Bible was written anonymously. Okay, I mentioned it.
I would just LOVE it if the Christians I know would admit there are parts of the Bible they’re not willing to live by. What I see more often than that is the Christian who purposely twists scripture to suit their beliefs. You know, kind of like ‘You have not because you ask not’ meaning all we have to do is ask God for what we want—no matter the motive behind it—and He will gladly provide it. Such people love to read James 4:2 but will never continue to verse 3, since that verse indicates we will not get what we ask God for if we have selfish motives behind it! In either case, many Christians prefer making God into their image rather than allowing God to mold them into His. Don’t like something in the Bible? Ignore it or twist it into something that benefits you! That’s the method of operation for many in the church. It’s a very sad aspect of human nature.
If they admitted that they are not willing to live by some of the rules in the Bible, that would suggest they were either lacking in faith or that they did not trust that the Bible was inspired word-for-word. Many Christians would not want to choose between those two options. Still, I think we all need to give some serious consideration to why we live some parts of our life in contrast to what the Bible teaches.
I call it “ala carte Christianity”. And yeah, I’m guilty
In fairness, Jesus is a pretty hard act to follow. But we will keep trying, and asking for a hand up when we fall or fail for lack of faith.
Good discussion on “cherry picking.” Recently the Lord has been speaking to me re evangelism. Are you active in personal evangelism? Do you have suggestions to help me be more effective in leading others to new life in Jesus?