Category Archives: Bible

There’s an interesting post at dailypress.com about belief and why it’s such a big thing in Christianity.

It’s especially interesting for me to read since I’m in this weird transition phase of my faith. On one hand, I’m reading it and I find myself nodding along with everything, because it’s a really well written Christian piece.

On the other hand, it brings up some of the many questions that I’m dealing with right now.

Have you ever wondered why Christianity makes such a big deal about belief? Why do Christians care so much about believing in Jesus? Does it ever seem almost too magical, like a trick you can play in your head? “Just believe in Jesus Christ, and you’ll receive forgiveness, peace with God, eternal life!” That’s what the good news of Christ actually says. But shouldn’t there be more to it, some requirement to clean up your act, to do right things to earn all this? Do Christians make it too simple to be saved?

To answer that, first we have to recall what it means to be saved, for that word has become religious jargon; it has lost its meaning outside of Christian circles. It just means to be rescued. You need not view it in a religious way to see that. To be saved from drowning is to be rescued from drowning. Christians mean just that sort of thing when they use the word. It’s being rescued from ourselves, and from the trouble we’ve gotten ourselves into.

Okay, so far so good.  

God has standards for us, and none of us lives up to them. Nobody even lives consistently according to their own idea of what’s right and wrong. Surprisingly, the Bible actually seems to say (in Romans 2) that if you don’t know the Biblical law, God won’t necessarily judge you based on that law. Instead, your own moral standards will be your test. And nobody passes.

Says who? Seriously. The standards that we use come from the Bible, right? So how do we really know those are God’s standards, and not the standards of men trying to control other men (and women)? And seriously…I’ve never heard that God will judge you based on your own moral standards. I just reread the chapter in question, and I guess I can see where they get that from, but I’m not buying it.

There is a penalty for this falling short: eternal separation from God, the source of all love and goodness. It is eternal death. Salvation means rescue from this fate. It also has to do with being freed (rescued, in a way) from our own internal contradictions, the passions within that war against our own selves. Ultimately it means living forever with God.

So why should believing qualify us for these great gifts? God knows we cannot live up to our own standards, much less his own; we can’t rescue ourselves, and we can’t gain true, eternal life on our own. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were God’s gift to pay the penalty for our sins and open the way for this. It could never be something we earn, for it’s far beyond our reach. God offers it in the only way we could receive it: as a gift, to be accepted by simple believing.

But let’s not overstate how simple that believing really is. It is a deep thing. To a great extent, our beliefs are who we are. They determine every choice we make. I’m not just speaking of religious beliefs now. If you choose to go to school, it’s because you believe something good will come of it. If you choose to love your spouse, it’s because of your beliefs about that relationship. If you lie or steal, it’s because you believe some greater good (also defined according to your beliefs) will come to you for it. If you indulge in any temptation, it’s because you believe the pain of denying it would be greater, or more consequential to you, than the damage you cause yourself by giving in.

Something he says here pinpoints exactly why I’m struggling: To a great extent, our beliefs are who we are. They determine every choice we make. Who I am is all wrapped up in the Christian belief system. Without it, I feel incomplete.

If you believe in God, you choose to order your life according to an entirely different reality than if you do not. There is a very short distance, Biblically, between believing in God and obeying him. In Hebrews 3:16-19, and in Hebrews 4:2 and 4:6, “unbelief” and “disobedience” are used interchangeably. In Hebrews 11, the Bible’s famous “faith hall of fame,” the Old Testament heroes’ faith was shown in every case by what they did — by their actions. One book later in the Bible, in James 2:14-23, it’s explicitly stated that faith and deeds cannot be separated.

Again, says who? I’m really having issues with the Bible, and using Scripture to back up claims isn’t going to get anywhere with me. 

Believing in Jesus Christ comes first. It always remains the basis for our relationship with God, the beginning and foundation of a changed life. God asks no more of us than that when we enter into relationship with him. But it is no mere mental check-off, no simple assent to a creed; it’s something that in the end alters our whole approach to life. It is inevitably expressed through the way we live. What we believe determines what kind of persons we are.

It’s no small thing to believe in Jesus Christ — it’s the first step of a complete turnaround. It means that we experience all of reality in a new way. It kicks off a positive change in our character. It starts us on a new life, a life of peace with God, and the freedom of forgiveness; it opens up the power (through Christ living in us) to truly love, to give, to have joy, to have self-control, patience, kindness, and more. It provides the potency by which we can have a powerful positive effect on the world. None of us experiences these changes completely on earth, but ultimately belief in God opens the door to live eternally with God.

So it you wonder whether there ought to be more to it than mere belief, you’re partly right.

All God requires of us, to be rescued from ourselves and to receive his life, is that we believe in him. But when it comes to Jesus Christ, genuine belief is the start and foundation for a good and great transformation of your heart and your life.

This is hard.

When I think of all Christianity has “to offer” and the community and the love and the freedom that is supposed to come from this faith…I want it. Badly. But just because I want something to be true doesn’t make it so.

I read two articles today (Time and Fox News) dealing with teaching the Bible in public school settings.

Two non-Christian students enrolled in one of these classes in Texas gave great reasons for taking the class (from the Time article):

“Some of my friends are Christian,” she said, shrugging, “and they would argue about, like, whether you can be a Christian and believe in evolution, and I’m like, Okaaaay … clueless.” Williams signed up for a similar reason. “If somebody is going to carry on a sophisticated conversation with me, I would rather know what they’re talking about than look like a moron or fight my way through it,” she says.

It’s important to note that we aren’t talking about church classes here. These classes don’t teach you that the hand of God came down and wrote the Bible with a special pen on special paper. But they do give you a working knowledge of what is contained within the pages of the Bible.

The Bible so pervades Western culture, it says, that it’s hard to call anyone educated who hasn’t at least given thought to its key passages.

This is true!

But wait! Isn’t this going blatantly against the separation of church and state? No!

Meanwhile, two privately produced curriculums crafted specifically to pass church-state muster are competing for use in individual schools nationwide. Combined, they are employed in 460 districts in at least 37 states. The numbers are modest, but their publishers expect them to soar.

There has been some criticism of this kind of curriculum from the extreme right, but I love what Chuck Colson said here:

“Would I prefer a more explicitly biblical Christian teaching?” he asks. “Of course. But you can’t do that in public education. What you can do is introduce the Bible so that people are aware of its impact on people and in history and then let God speak through it as he will.”

One of the textbooks being used is called The Bible and its Influence, and I want this book!

Meant to be read alongside a Bible, the book’s 373 oversize pages provide a clearly written–if selective–theme-and-style analysis of key passages in most of the biblical books. Its sidebars–”Cultural Connections,” “Historical Connections”–do much of the heavy lifting in transforming a Bible commentary into a textbook.

And the last line of the article is a great one:

But in the end, what is required in teaching about the Bible in our public schools is patriotism: a belief that we live in a nation that understands the wisdom of its Constitution clearly enough to allow the most important book in its history to remain vibrantly accessible for everyone.

The article from Fox also looks at why these classes are beginning to gain popularity:

But let’s focus on the Bible — why would it be so important for a nation that prides itself on diversity to teach the Holy Scriptures of the Judeo-Christian heritage in public schools? One answer is because the Old and New Testaments provide the foundation of the American system of government.

[...]

Essentially, the Bible is an integral part in America’s heritage, now in its laws, and in the dignity it strives to attain for every person. Yes, America was never, and is not, perfect. The institution of slavery and the inadequate distribution of wealth are two blots on America’s history. We are still striving to overcome vestiges of those ugly times, but the ideals of freedom and the pursuit of happiness for all people come from the Bible’s understanding that we all have dignity, and that no one is above the law, not a king or a president.

It also explores reasons not to teach these classes:

The Bible, as Christians believe, is God’s word — God revealing himself to his people. This book is meant to convert. The narrative tells of man’s fallen nature, and God working to redeem us. Without that knowledge, the Bible is simply some nice poetry and literature. In a public school setting, the Bible could never be used as devotion. Therefore, its very intention is suppressed for the sake of a diverse system. Many people have read the Bible and come away with no influence at all; others believing that it’s the revealed word of God will see a totally different meaning in all its passages.

This is a good point, but I will redirect you to Chuck Colson’s quote above.

Overall, I still think this is a great idea. There are probably some kinks to work out in the system, but every high school in the nation teaches a class on world religion to sophomores–without converting anyone to any of those religions. Adding classes on the most influential book in history seems like a good move.