Noting that while he is often attacked for somehow not obeying the Bible enough, he has never been attacked by those people for being "glibly dismissive" of Luke 3:11. His broader point is something I have read many times before, that the bible has far more to say about poverty and wealth and more criticisms of wealth than it has to say about homosexuality. Yet, where do modern evangelicals focus their concerns?
This is from part 2 of a three part series. I recommend reading reading part one here and part three here.
5 comments:
Every religion or ethical framework ever known has had some variation of the Golden Rule, and the adherents of every such system have at some point been tempted to regard that imperative as insufficient and inadequate, seeking and finding additional rules until those rules eventually come to conflict with and supersede that central principle.
And thus: the conflict between the vocal Christian groups we're calling "evangelicals" and reality. That sentence says it all...when the only real guide we need is love. When you start making love a rule (better said: when you start making rules out of the guiding principle of love), as Slacktivist points out, well that's when all Hell breaks loose.
I have really appreciated this 3-part series. Thanks for the link. I really enjoy and found some meaning in Slacktivists thoughts on the matter.
A little irony sandwich, relevant to your topic:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/opinion/13rich.html?th&emc=th
Interesting, but the issue I have always struggled with is picking and choosing the parts we should follow. Many Christians (myself most certainly included) tend to focus on the passages we like and ignore the ones we don't like.
Steve, I agree completely. I think I have focused on those things that made the most sense to me, and ignored the ones that made me less comfortable. The Bible is amazingly malleable and allows for (I know the fundy-types would not agree) an amazingly wide range of interpretations. I would simply like a bit of recognition that their interpretation and emphasis is just one, not THE one.
I am really intrigued by slactivists take on the problem of seeing the Bible as some ultimate "rule book."
From so many years , our education department has been implementing a course on sex education. I, for one, am a “graduate” so to speak of such a course. But, did it deterred or prevent me from engaging in consensual, out-of-the marriage, sex.Thats the question.
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