The Bible is composed of 66 books, 1,189 chapters, 31, 173 verses and 774,746 words, give or take a few. Coming to grips with all this verbiage is almost impossible so it is not surprising that so very few of us can claim to have digested the Bible’s content. Past generations have valued the pure reading of the Bible and being factually competent in the hope that that would lead us to understanding. Lacking understanding these generations focus on a few specific verses or passages that allow a desired theology.
A theology is the same as an ideology in politics for they both serve a liberal or conservative constituency. The political turf and the biblical turf are divided up and the fight is on. The arguing over the political turf has gone on from the beginning of human gatherings. For 4000 years the Judeo-Christian religious turf has been ripe with conflict and we never seem to tire of it. Liberals and conservatives both use the Bible to fight the good fight, each is adamant that the Bible is their proof. This being our human reality, why not offer another way? Does the Bible allow another way?
A gathering theology is a better way. A gathering theology assumes that the Bible is a record of divine interventions into our world and subsequently a record of our human response or reaction to these events. The human response is always to build a religion around the divine event and that religion always will turn inward for survival. The Bible, then, is largely a religious document. Religion is not God, all religions do good but all religions kill because they are a human function. No scripture need be thrown out because of the influence of religion but it’s influence must be considered in the search for truth.
Does this sound complicated? What is really complicated is to assert that every word in the Bible has equal authority or inspiration. Some have claimed such an interpretation of scripture only to utilize their own way of elevating some of scripture to a really worthy status. No one is consistent. If such an extreme view of divine inspiration were even possible, the Bible would itself be God. If, however, we are allowing spiritual truth to filter through the words of scripture something almost magical happens, our understanding inches forward.
The trick to biblical understanding is to identify the biblical gates that God has opened in human history. If these gates are clearly identified and respected, the religious stuff will settle in it’s proper context. The Bible gates are like unto being bombed with a glimpse of God. They make us squirm so we invent ways to soften the blow by making God religious and he is not so inclined. In fact, religion keeps God at bay and therefore religion is evil. Most of the Bible is God trying to pry us away from our human religious constructions. Satan is a religious reality.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
