Troubling texts and trouble-making preachers.

October 27, 2007 by Pastor Dan.

I think this is attributed to Mark Twain: “It’s not the parts of the Bible I don’t understand which worry me. It’s the part of the Bible I do understand that worry me.”

The Bible has a lot of stuff that is a real turn-off. Millions of people avoid them by never opening its cover. For those of a religious bent, especially the conservative religious, there are many things found in this ancient book which are indeed worrisome. Because a conservative point of view stands on the principle that every word in the Bible is inspired by God and must be believed and obeyed.

I will admit it’s that principle that worries me, because it creates trouble, burdens consciences, and broadcasts prejudice. The same principle is found, by the way, in Judaism and Islam.

Last week a group of Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars met in Bel-Air (in a neutral hotel) to tackle worrisome parts of the Bible, the New Testament and the Koran, and to question the conservative principle itself.

I’m a little irked that I wasn’t invited to at least listen to these scholars present and discuss together. In her October 20 story, the Los Angeles Times’ Connie Kang didn’t explain who—besides the scholars who reported and lectured—got invited. Oh well, maybe next year (in Germany, 2008) or in Jerusalem (2009)!

Gay people have known about texts of terror for generations, since there is a small handful of Old and New Testament (only six, or arguably only five) passages that are used to condemn us. Conservatives enjoy using those passages, apparently, because they enjoy condemning others.

If you can stomach what that Topeka, Kansas guy thinks, check out his web site.  Phelps has done us all a favor to carefully do the research about terrible texts. In the paper “”God Loves Everyone” - The Greatest Lie Ever Told” (available in its entire 94 page length in PDF format), apparently some 701 passages are quoted to prove that God does indeed not love everybody!

I’ve had a taste of all that bile before. (I think they teach it in Bile College!) But I’m much more interested now when reputable scholars, none of them from Topeka, Kansas, gather to openly discuss together the stuff in which Christian scriptures appear to reject Muslims and Jews, and Muslim Scriptures appear to warn against Jews and Christians, etc. The conference, put together by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University, highlighted the need to understand the social and historical context of the ancient texts which are so inflammatory against others.

I suppose it goes without saying that general religious intolerance—such as that between Jews and Muslims and Christians—is the wide seed-bed in which specific intolerance takes root and grows—such as hatred and damnation of homosexuals among Christians, or anti-Jewish Muslim sentiments, or for that matter, the Sunni/Shiite bitterness being fought out in Iraq now.

Truthfully, I constantly raise the questions this conference apparently posed publicly, so I could have been a very interested participant. Even if I hold that every word of the Old and New Testaments, for example, are inspired, am I required to apply every word to my life and my world? Even if these great Scriptures of three world religious have much wonderful spiritual insight, am I required not to move beyond those ancient insights? In other words, if they raise important spiritual questions for the human race, do they also foreclose on any further discussion.

Jesus for example wrestled with the texts of the Hebrews Scriptures of his day. “You have heard it said,… “but I say to you.” In his allegorical tussle with Satan, the devil quotes Scripture too, “It is written…” But does what is written end all discussion?

The scholars thought not, and encouraged ongoing dialog about these very issues — especially as the Scriptures of the three faiths can easily be used to condemn the other two.

The Times article quotes Jerry Campbell, President of Claremont School of Theology. “God is challenging us to take the idea of troubling texts to the next level, to begin a new conversation across faiths and throughout the world, with the goal of realizing God’s own hope that all God’s creation may learn to live harmoniously together.”

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that guy in Topeka Kansas couldn’t disagree more. He doesn’t want anybody to live harmoniously together. If you like check out his companion sites, godhatesamerica, godhatescanada, godhatessweden, americaisdoomed, etc.

—Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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