Particularly in the last 30 years, environmental concerns have been at the forefront of Western society. Everything from the rate at which we consume the world's natural resources to alternative fuel sources, from "save the whales" to "earth-friendly," from landfills to recycling, from the ozone layer to global warming: each issue represents an effort to maintain and sustain our natural habitat.
The Bible says a lot about the natural world. First of all, God created the world and everything in it. Creation is God's means of judging and saving the people; it is also God's means of showing God's power in the world. People were put on the earth for a purpose: to care for God's creation. So, though human beings certainly have been blessed with the intelligence and the power to use creation to our own ends, according to the Bible our purpose is to serve the land and all that is in it.
Science has shown that we are not doing a very good job of this. Overpopulation and industrialization have impacted our environment in alarming, sometimes irreversible ways. Some have even predicted that at the rate we are consuming natural resources, there won't be any left for future generations.
What do you think? What is it that we truly need for survival and in what ways do we take advantage of the gift of creation? What can we do better?
3.07.2007
3.01.2007
God in the Bible
Marcion, a second century bishop, believed that there were two Gods to be found in the Bible. In his work, Antitheses (c. 150 A. D.), he set forth many examples in which he compared Old Testament sayings about God and New Testament sayings about God. From these various examples Marcion concluded that the God of the Old Testament, the "Creator God" was harsh, judicial, and distant from humankind. On the other hand, the God of the New Testament, the "Supreme God," was kind, gentle, and in touch with the needs of human beings.
Though Marcion was considered a heretic by the early Christian church, his thoughts still live on in Christianity today. Ask any random Christian on the street and you will likely hear that God is harsher and more distant and judgmental in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. Though all Christians believe in one God, and that Jesus is the human incarnation of God, many will be hard-pressed to find evidence in the Bible that contradicts Marcion's ideas.
What do you think? Do you think God is portrayed differently in the Old Testament than in the New Testament? If so, how? Can you back up your thoughts with evidence from the Bible?
Though Marcion was considered a heretic by the early Christian church, his thoughts still live on in Christianity today. Ask any random Christian on the street and you will likely hear that God is harsher and more distant and judgmental in the Old Testament than in the New Testament. Though all Christians believe in one God, and that Jesus is the human incarnation of God, many will be hard-pressed to find evidence in the Bible that contradicts Marcion's ideas.
What do you think? Do you think God is portrayed differently in the Old Testament than in the New Testament? If so, how? Can you back up your thoughts with evidence from the Bible?
2.12.2007
To Interpret or to Not Interpret: That is the Question
"The Bible does not have answers to all of our questions. The Bible writers were unaware of many of today's issues (for example, cloning, the age of the earth, birth control, the depletion of the ozone layer, euthanasia). What role the Bible should play in thinking about these matters is not always clear. . . . Truth about the world has been made available to us through fields of inquiry not directly related to the Bible or the church (for example, astronomy and physics)." (Terence E. Fretheim, About the Bible: Short Answers to Big Questions [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1999], 81).
In addition, sometimes the Bible has something to say about contemporary issues, but it may not be what we want to hear. For example, the Bible is pretty clear when it speaks about money, divorce, and same-sex intercourse. Yet, these (and others, like the role of women in the church) are the issues that have caused the most division between Christians. One of the biggest problems in reading the Bible is that it is an ancient document that Jews and Christians alike rely on to answer current questions. Essentially, the Bible is a first-century document often used to address twenty-first century problems.
To add to the problem, different people interpret the Bible in different ways. Some people may read the Bible for the entire message it offers, i.e., Jesus loves everyone, so it is important to accept people for who they are and love everyone. Others read individual passages in all parts of the Bible that relate to a particular topic and try to discern from them the Bible's position on the topic. Still others emphasize the laws and will derive their answers from them. In many respects, trying to find answers to current issues in the Bible becomes a question of interpretation and emphasis. What if the Bible is not clear on a particular issue? What are your recommendations for interpreting a book that does not always address our problems, yet a book that Christians rely on to inform faith and life? How does the way we read the Bible matter in addressing the important questions of life?
In addition, sometimes the Bible has something to say about contemporary issues, but it may not be what we want to hear. For example, the Bible is pretty clear when it speaks about money, divorce, and same-sex intercourse. Yet, these (and others, like the role of women in the church) are the issues that have caused the most division between Christians. One of the biggest problems in reading the Bible is that it is an ancient document that Jews and Christians alike rely on to answer current questions. Essentially, the Bible is a first-century document often used to address twenty-first century problems.
To add to the problem, different people interpret the Bible in different ways. Some people may read the Bible for the entire message it offers, i.e., Jesus loves everyone, so it is important to accept people for who they are and love everyone. Others read individual passages in all parts of the Bible that relate to a particular topic and try to discern from them the Bible's position on the topic. Still others emphasize the laws and will derive their answers from them. In many respects, trying to find answers to current issues in the Bible becomes a question of interpretation and emphasis. What if the Bible is not clear on a particular issue? What are your recommendations for interpreting a book that does not always address our problems, yet a book that Christians rely on to inform faith and life? How does the way we read the Bible matter in addressing the important questions of life?
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