entering the Lion's Den
Recently I've been attending a Bible study in the town where I pastor. It's billed as a community Bible study, but it is quite clearly run and geared towards one particular congregation. I don't particularly enjoy the Bible studies, they're even more boring than normal, but I still go. Essentially what motivates me to go is a gesture of goodwill between churches, at least, I hope it's that noble. Part of me is afraid that I attend simply to show that I am not intimidated by their knowledge of the Bible, that I am not backing down from them. Maybe I'm arrogant enough to believe that my mere presence will show them the best way to read the Scriptures, maybe.

I'm not an argumentative sort, and I hate confrontations, so I don't say much, I just sit and listen. Also, your question won't really be heard unless you attach a specific Bible verse, with exact reference, and nobody has tried to disagree with the speaker so far. For me, the real action happens after the study concludes. Since I am not a regular, I always get approached and asked, "so what do you think?", which translates as, "have we converted you yet?" or worse, "I challenge you to point out any possible flaws in what you heard." I know that I have asked that question before with similar intentions. Understanding their logic, I avoid the hot button questions, but they seem unavoidable.

One guy closer to my age was at my church with his family, for the Christmas Eve service (which featured Christmas Carols and a play I wrote and acted in). I asked him what his thoughts were. He didn't like how I made a joke with the Magi. (I used girls instead of guys. They were asked why they were women instead of men, and responded "Of course we're women. If we were men, do you think we would have stopped in Jerusalem and asked for directions?" At which point the audience burst into laughter) His point was that such an important story should not be taken lightly. I said that humour is an important tool is spreading the gospel, and he challenged me to back that up with Scripture, and then somehow we were arguing about a 6 24-hour day creation. I don't want to bring this guy's whole faith into question, I just want to give him a new way of thinking. His point is that the gospel doesn't need us to preach it with worldly methods, because the Holy Spirit will be active in people's hearts. My point is that we are called to make the good news relevant to people.

It seems like I'm trying to do two things at once, not be labeled a heretic, but still present new ideas. Perhaps it's futile for me to try, seeing as how they are not particularly good listeners. Perhaps it's arrogant of me to think I'm any closer to a full understanding of the Bible than they are. At times, I wonder if I should read my Bible more, so that I'll be better equipped to debate them, but then I remember, that the Bible isn't a weapon. Sure it's a double-edged sword, blah, blah, blah, but it shouldn't be used in this battle of oneupmanship. I've been invited over to one of the guys' house for dinner, and I expect that invitation to include an attack on Anabaptism (this guy just borrowed a Mennonite history textbook from me), or a religious discussion of some kind. We'll see how it turns out.
I know this post is a poorly structured rambling, but it's late, and it's not worth rearranging.

   [ posted by William @ 11:22 PM ]