I'm reading this book called "The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible" by Scot McKnight (author of "The Jesus Creed." Its called Blue Parakeet because he told a story of how someone's pet blue parakeet escaped outside, can't be caught, and now no one knows what to do with it. He talks about the grey areas of the Bible, especially the Old Testament laws. His purpose is to call his readers to figure out their pattern of discernment - to know why do I not do what this passage in the Bible teaches?... how to deal with the "blue parakeets" without taming them to something they shouldn't be. We all discern - through God's spirit and the context of our community of faith - a pattern of how to live in our world. NO one does everything the Bible says, I don't care who you are or how firm you are when you say you do, you don't do EVERYTHING. If you say you do, you must say it with the understanding that you live out the Bible culturally and in our day and our way.
I'm not saying this is wrong, I'm not the judge to decide that, but its just something that we should all think about...
Like what about these grey areas?
1. Divorce and Remarriage (Mark 10:11,12; Matthew 5:32; 1 Corinthians 7)
2. Circumcision- now done without spiritual connections (Gen 17:9-1; Acts 15:16-21: Gal 5:6; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Rom 2:28, 29; 1 Cor 7:19; Col 2:11, 12)
3. Style of Christian Women (1 Peter 3:1-6)
4. Sun-centered vs. earth-centered cosmology (Job 9:6, 38:4-7; Prov 8:27-29; Rev 7:1, 1 Peter 3:19-22)
5. Death Penalty (Romans 13, Exodus 22:18, 20; Lev 24:13; Deut 21:18-21, 22:22; Num 15:32-36; Gen 4; Ex 21:12-14; Num 35:6-34; Deut 4:41-43, 19:1-13; John 7:53-8:11; Matt 5:38-39). Some of these passages seem to contradict other passages.
6. Speaking in Tongues (Acts 2, 1 Cor 14:18
7. Becoming all things to all - this is something i'm passionate about so maybe i'll unpack this later in more detail (1 Cor 9:19-23; Paul's adaptability - Acts 17:16-34 and 1 Cor 8, Romans 14:2,3,6)
God spoke in Abraham's days in Abraham's ways (walking between severed animals)
Moses' days in Moses' ways (law and ceremony)
David's days in David's ways (royal policies)
Isaiah's days in Isaiah's ways (walking around nude for awhile)
Ezra's days in Ezra's ways (divorcing Gentile spouses)
Jesus' days in Jesus' ways (intentional poverty)
Peter's days in Peter's ways (strategies for living under an emperor)
John's days in John's ways (dualistic language - light and darkness)
What is good for all these guys is also good for us. But, the precise expression of the gospel or the manner of living of these guys may not be our expression or manner of living. Living out the Bible means living out the Bible in our day in our way by discerning how God would have us living through adaptation. How do we do this - read the Bible and know the Bible and live out its story in our life. We should not seek to retrieve the cultural world (of when the Bible was written) - if we did that we'd be outside stoning people, offering lamb sacrifices, and excommunicating people all the time. Instead we should live the same gospel in a different way in our different day. Read the Bible with tradition instead of through tradition. Of course this isn't simple but its a good plan.
Like what about these grey areas?
1. Divorce and Remarriage (Mark 10:11,12; Matthew 5:32; 1 Corinthians 7)
2. Circumcision- now done without spiritual connections (Gen 17:9-1; Acts 15:16-21: Gal 5:6; Deut 10:16; Jer 4:4; Rom 2:28, 29; 1 Cor 7:19; Col 2:11, 12)
3. Style of Christian Women (1 Peter 3:1-6)
4. Sun-centered vs. earth-centered cosmology (Job 9:6, 38:4-7; Prov 8:27-29; Rev 7:1, 1 Peter 3:19-22)
5. Death Penalty (Romans 13, Exodus 22:18, 20; Lev 24:13; Deut 21:18-21, 22:22; Num 15:32-36; Gen 4; Ex 21:12-14; Num 35:6-34; Deut 4:41-43, 19:1-13; John 7:53-8:11; Matt 5:38-39). Some of these passages seem to contradict other passages.
6. Speaking in Tongues (Acts 2, 1 Cor 14:18
7. Becoming all things to all - this is something i'm passionate about so maybe i'll unpack this later in more detail (1 Cor 9:19-23; Paul's adaptability - Acts 17:16-34 and 1 Cor 8, Romans 14:2,3,6)
God spoke in Abraham's days in Abraham's ways (walking between severed animals)
Moses' days in Moses' ways (law and ceremony)
David's days in David's ways (royal policies)
Isaiah's days in Isaiah's ways (walking around nude for awhile)
Ezra's days in Ezra's ways (divorcing Gentile spouses)
Jesus' days in Jesus' ways (intentional poverty)
Peter's days in Peter's ways (strategies for living under an emperor)
John's days in John's ways (dualistic language - light and darkness)
What is good for all these guys is also good for us. But, the precise expression of the gospel or the manner of living of these guys may not be our expression or manner of living. Living out the Bible means living out the Bible in our day in our way by discerning how God would have us living through adaptation. How do we do this - read the Bible and know the Bible and live out its story in our life. We should not seek to retrieve the cultural world (of when the Bible was written) - if we did that we'd be outside stoning people, offering lamb sacrifices, and excommunicating people all the time. Instead we should live the same gospel in a different way in our different day. Read the Bible with tradition instead of through tradition. Of course this isn't simple but its a good plan.
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