Common wisdom holds that the
people who take the Bible most seriously in America are those from
the conservative traditions who claim a literalist interpretation of
the "The Bible says it and I believe it" variety. But try
telling these same people that there are two creation stories or that
God refers to God's self in the plural and they give you a
blank expression. What they mean by literal interpretation is really just
a amalgamation of selected texts read at a surface level with an
overlay of airtight coherence.
Ever since seminary it has been my
contention that the people who delve most seriously into the Bible are those
who employ the critical approaches - historical, textual,
literary - in other words those most beholden to the
enlightenment. This does not mean that they are looking to undermine
the text, just the opposite, they are looking to mine it for the
richness of the meaning it holds and are simply coming to different
conclusions than their more conservative counterparts.
In his column on USA Tom Krattenmaker writes about the setbacks of
the religious right on the political front as a preface to the extending
of the battle to how we read and interpret the bible and
our tradition. Krattenmaker points to the release of some
important new books by progressive theologians and Church historians including
Jesus Interrupted by Bart Ehrman, The First Paul: Reclaiming the Radical
Visionary Behind the Church's Conservative Icon by Marcus Borg and Dominick
Crossan, and my Progressive Revival colleague Diana Butler Bass' A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the
Story.
This is all very good news for those
of us who take the Bible and the Christian faith seriously but not
literally. We want to retain the right to look carefully at the text and
not be forced to leave our intelligence at the door when we approach the
Bible. It does not diminish my faith to realize that there are
different witnesses to the account of Jesus' life and that they emphasize
different things any more than it diminishes my faith to realize that my
neighbor might have a different experience of Jesus than I do in this time.
I am glad that I know Diana Butler
Bass, Marcus Borg and Dominick Crossan.
I had the privilege of hearing Bass and Borg at a wonderful conference
last January called January Adventure that brought a thousand mainline and
progressive Christians together on the coast of Georgia. Next year I will be presenting with Dom
Crossen. I am in awe of these
scholars and their labors of love that look for the truth that the Bible and
our tradition holds, knowing that there is always more to the story than has
been told before. These books and the progressive tradition represent an
ongoing effort to practice an authentic faith.
We should celebrate this resurrection
of progressive Christian voices as Robby Jones calls it. When too much of the world is beholden to a fundamentalist rigidity
that allows for no constructive interaction with text or tradition we need to
be free to use the power of intellect and heart that continues to renew our
faith into the 21st century. It will help us be better followers of Christ and
better citizens of the world.
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I am a recovering fundagelical of the LCMS stripe that is using the books you mention and many others to help me come up to speed as a progressive Christian. I am currently reading the Rev. Robin Meyers' book, "Saving Jesus from the Church: How to stop worshiping Christ and start following Jesus." Great insights! I recommend it highly.
I have many of Borg and Crossan's books in my library. Our church used their book "The Last Week" as its Lenten study material. These authors, and others as well, show us that the Gospels are much more detailed and interesting than the simple presentation that evangelicals and fundamentalists accept. The Apostle Paul remains us to be transformed through the renewing our minds.
Thanks Paul,
I think we may rebuild popular fascination with the Bible if we can show how it is a history book, containing many accounts by many writers, concerning at least 2,000 years of dramatic events. It records a great debate over what is true, just and beautiful, that has continued in post-biblical times down to the present. Jesus was clearly selective in what he affirmed or criticized in his country's heritage. The whole gigantic series of arguments in the Bible is at least as fascinating as the running debates which form the core of American history.
While Borg and Crossan are members of the Jesus Seminar, Bass and Ehrman are not. In fact Ehrman is rather critical of the approach of the Jesus Seminar, as he well should be. Nevertheless, Borg and Crossan offer some wonderful insights into what is going on in the gospels and in the writings of Paul, as does Ehrman.
They all offer compelling reasons for rejecting the literalist and/or inerrantist approach to the Bible.
The overwhelming evidence is that the "progressive" or liberal view of Christianity is toxic. What was the fastest declining denomination this year? The UCC. Last year? The Episcopalians.
George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, recently said that it is quite possible that the liberals will completely purge the Episcopal denomination of the orthodox. The liberal leadership is quickly sawing the base of the branch that they are sitting on.
Ms Bass's response? Well, there are a few exceptions to the rule. I guess With that "reasoning", I should take up hard drink and cigars because George Burns lived to 100.
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