Thursday, June 06, 2013

rightly handling the word of truth, part 2

I think I've told you before that I spent my first two years of undergrad at an Evangelical college. While there, I took several semester-long Bible classes, and I loved them.  Within the confines of what they were allowed to teach, those guys (because they were all guys) were amazingly innovative and thoughtful.  I've been grateful for the experience ever since.

I remember one professor telling us the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, and pointing out that they were the very first humans to take the word of God and embellish it.  God tells Adam (before Eve is created) that he should not eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, because if he does, he will surely die.

Then God decides that it is not good for Adam to be alone, so he creates Eve to keep Adam company.  Adam must have relayed God's instructions to her, because when the serpent--who was more crafty than the other beasts of the field--comes to visit, it is Eve who responds to his questions about what they are allowed to eat.
The serpent said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 
Did you catch the change?  God didn't say they couldn't touch the fruit, just that they couldn't eat it.  I realize that there are all kinds of interesting/difficult/maddening things about this story that we could be distracted by, but the professor's point was just this:  the human tendency to take words that God intended one way and then to embellish them or twist them out of context or use them to make an irrelevant point-- that tendency has been there from the very beginning.  When you start batting verses around, you have to be very careful.  Me, included.  We have to remember that the verses aren't the point.  Which brings us to:

part 2 of part 2.  Remember a few posts back when I talked about how uncomfortable it makes me to post personal stuff?  So I'm burying this in the second half of part 2 of a post that most people are going to skip because .....  Because.

So part of the reason I keep harping on all this is because it drives me crazy that the whole basis of Christianity is love and grace, but we want to put all kinds of conditions on that.  God* loves us and accepts us exactly as we are, entirely as we are, no ifs, no buts, no expectations for change.  So why are we using words on a page, words that can be twisted and changed and embellished, to create divisions and boundaries, lines of demarcation about who is acceptable to God and who isn't?  Well, yes, God loves you, BUT you have to change.  Well, yes, God loves you, but you aren't OK unless you....(fill in the blank).  Well, sure, God loves you, but he'd love you more if you fit in better.

That's not the deal.  It's bullshit, you know?  It's a load of crapola.  Those lines are created by flawed human beings.

But you know what I've been figuring out this week?  I haven't been willing to extend that same grace to myself.  I know all that, and I'm willing to argue that on other people's behalf, but I've been assuming at some very basic, not-quite-conscious level that I'm no longer acceptable to God because I no longer fit inside the boundaries of what I used to believe.

I think I've started to get it.  Twice this week I've burst into tears (thankfully when I was alone) as this began to sink in.  It's occurring to me God might be OK with the way I've turned out.  It's even possible that God might be OK with it when I poke and prod and question and decide I can't go along with the orthodox opinion anymore.  I am still God's beloved child.

It surprises the hell out of me.

(to which I can hear my dad respond:  "Literally."  Ha.)

* as always, define God however you want here.

10 comments:

  1. You know, I am seriously considering changing the title of these two posts. It fit for my point (especially yesterday)--that it's harder to use the bible than you might think--but it makes it sound like I think I rightly handle the word of truth. But I can't think of a new one at the moment, so I'm leaving it. Plus I re-published Part 1 three times already, which I know is a pain for the people who get e-mail posts. SO I guess this is just by way of apology for the pretentious title.

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  2. Have you read love does by bob goff and blue like jazz by donald miller? I think this might be just the time for reading those. Would lend them to you but I think the postage might be the same as buying new :)

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    1. I wrote a review of Blue Like Jazz somewhere about five or six years ago. I didn't care for it, but I have a huge chip on my shoulder (does that translate? means I am pre-disposed to see the worst in something) when it comes to that kind of thing, so I don't think that's necessarily an accurate reflection of the book. But I just looked up Love Does and it looks fascinating. I will see if our library has it. Thanks, Eva!

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  3. I agree totally with Eva. Read Blue Like Jazz. And absolutely you are still, and always will be, God's beloved child.

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    1. Absolutely agree with Eva and Debbie. Absolutely you are and always will be God's beloved child. Nothing will ever separate you from the love of God.

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    2. Thanks, Debbie and Carol! and hi, Carol! haven't seen you in awhile!

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  4. God IS love. And grace and wholeness and truth. How could you not be loved by a being who is love?

    Here's my take on it: God knew us before we were born, was there at the moment of our creation and is part of every fiber of our being. People used to believe that people who were left handed were children of the devil or witches or prone to evil simply because of an inborn trait. How, if God was involved in the creation of that trait, could it be evil? And so it goes for all the rest of what makes you, you. Your intellect, your ability to question and think and ponder, that is a part of what makes you who you are.

    And I'm writing this with no coffee so it's coming out a little incoherent.

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    1. no, I get it, and thanks. That's a good way to think about it.

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  5. Hi Barb ~ I have been flying under the radar for a year now. Great Post. I love KarenB's comment. Exactly how I feel too. God is Love. Ps 139 is one of my favourites and explained so much to me. We can never escape the love of God because we are known and loved.


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  6. I'm sure God finds you VERY easy to love. :-)

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