Why did God inspire the Bible?

I'm reading an interesting book by Brian McLaren called, "A New Kind of Christian." I can understand after reading the first half of the book why McLaren has become such a lightning rod for criticism, in particular from Conservative Christians. His views on a variety of topics, presented from the perspective of a character named Neo, who seems to be a thinly veiled McLaren, are edgy, pushing the reader to think, contemplate, and to a degree become a bit uncomfortable. Which is fine by me. As a newer Christian, I don't want my views surrounded in concrete, but want them to be nurtured, to grow, dare I say to evolve...

One of the least controversial topics in the book was about the Bible, about how the Bible should be "reading us" as much as we are reading it. There was one quote in particular that resonated with me. Neo says to Dan, a pastor working his way through a mid-life crisis of sorts, "...maybe we need to read it less like scholars and more like humble seekers trying to learn whatever we can from it, in the context of our sincere desire to live for God and do what he wants."

I love that! How often do we completely miss that point? I attend a Bible study once a week, and very often I find myself sitting and listening to the "experts" and think, "Why do they think they know what God was communicating?" This isn't an all-the-time thing, but it is a regular occurrence. Too often it seems as though someone just wants to be right.

And this seems to be pervasive in the evangelical wing of Christianity. A great example is the debate between Greg Boyd and John Piper, going back about 5-6 years ago. I think both of these guys are brilliant. They know more about theology than I'll ever dream about. I learn from each of them and their followers truly admire them (as evidenced by the thousands that attend their weekly services.) But these two evangelical giants faced off on the topic of pre-destination and God's foreknowledge. Piper is a true Calvinist, while Boyd leans more toward Armenianism. The debate got downright personal. In reading the various documents that went back and forth between these two men, I was left thinking, "How do you know what was meant? You are reading the Bible and extracting theology and meaning from very confusing and some times conflicting information. What makes you think you know God's thoughts?" It seemed to me the men were more interested in making a point, not necessarily understanding.

But the "point" isn't to know God's thoughts. After all, isn't that what got Eve in trouble? She desired the fruit not for the fruit, but for the knowledge she would gain, knowledge that would put her on par with God. Isn't it also how the Babylonians earned God's wrath, by building a tower so they could somehow be as important as God? (Genesis 11) I sometimes think we're doing the same thing.

McLaren suggests that what we should be doing is living for God. I love his phrase, to read "as humble seekers." Too often I see nothing resembling humility when that trait would do wonders for so many. And this includes the scholar. Shouldn't even scholars approach the Bible from a humble perspective, letting the Bible do the talking, not try and fit the Bible into some sort of box the scholar has built and designed. It minimizes God.

I'm not ready to digest all that McLaren offers in this book, but I have ordered the two sequels and will eagerly read them to continue my personal faith journey. In the mean time, my advice to my evangelical friends is to cozy up to the Bible. Approach it as a friend, not some sort of science project.

Freedom from the law

I just read a disturbing article. Evidently, a sheik in town in Somalia is threatening to behead residents if they do not pray five times daily.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234817,00.html

My initial reaction was one of being horrified. How can this happen today? And, how can this religion be followed? Why don't the people see that murdering and torturing people because they fail to abide by legalistic rules of behavior can't possibly be a faith that makes any sense?

And then it dawned on me. Sadly, this reminds me of the Pharisees and other religious leaders during the time of our savior Jesus. Those that weren't following the law were crucified, stoned, beaten, tortured. The same fate met many of the Apostles of Christ. Fortunately for us, the atoning death of Jesus has freed us from legalistic stipulations. We are still asked to follow the Law, but our law is summarized by Jesus in Luke 10:26-27:

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

See: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=10&version=31&context=chapter

We're shocked when we read about religions doing this today, and rightfully so, because we think we are more civilized. Brutally attacking another is certainly not loving your neighbor. But this is disturbing evidence that should shock us. We live in a brutal world, fighting against Satan on a daily basis. It is evidence of how distorted faith can lead to inexplicable atrocities.

This is also a call to be missional in our lives. Introduce the Gospels at every opportunity. Explain the freedom that comes from a life in Christ. Give a reason for the hope you have. (1 Peter 3:15)