Spinning in Circles

I was recently reminded of a Japanese top. When you first spin one of these tops it twirls around in wide, seemingly undirected circles. If its motion slows too much these circles become so wide and uncontrolled that the top falls. Or, as the top turns, the spinning will quicken. The circles the top draws become smaller and smaller, until suddenly the top actually turns upside down onto its stem. There it spins in place, in motion yet still.

Life is like this top. Oftentimes our lives seem like they are spinning out of control. We waver in undirected paths, trying to find where we belong. Ironically, I've noticed that these times often begin when we feel the most in control. We get caught up in the mind-numbing routine of our comfortable lives. Yet we begin to draw a wider and wider path away from our Center until we feel completely lost and alone. But sometimes we are drawn quicker and quicker towards the Center until we release our own wills to the will of God. In that moment our lives are turned upside down and we are able to be still. That is, at least until we become comfortable that we are in control again. Or until other unforeseen circumstances knock us off our tracks.

What circles has your life traced around our Center God? When are the times that you have felt farthest away from God? When have you felt lost, alone, or overwhelmed? What circumstances have knocked your life off course?

What has drawn you towards God? What are those centripetal forces that pull you closer to the centering presence of God? Can you name times when God has turned your life upside down because you were able to release your own will and claim His? How are you able to be still?

Perhaps if we were more inclined to be still and perhaps vulnerable rather than busy and comfortable, we would not so easily fall. Perhaps if we let go of those moments when we feel in control, and cling to the practices and moments that pull us closer to God, we would be able to be still and at peace.

(If you are interested in learning more about prayer and spiritual practices, check out authors like Marjorie Thompson, Richard Foster, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, or Philip Newell.)

Fingerprints (continuing the conversation)

I feel compelled to write again, my last post seeming unfinished and, perhaps, misleading. I must stress that the issue of historical accuracy is a heavily debated issue, though perhaps not in the church. The church tends to only portray one view, and that is that the Bible is Holy and contains no error. But, many many scholars have found evidence to support both views and produce viable arguments. The only thing that anyone really knows is that no one really knows. But if we are to be honest we need to be willing to admit this. The issue that I want to address is whether or not historical and literary accuracy really matters to our faith.

The question that immediately rises to my mind is- Am I believing in something that may not be true? If I were placing my faith in the absolute truthfulness of the Bible, then the answer is yes, possibly. But I am not. My faith is in the God of the Bible, not the Bible itself. So the real question is- Does the Bible portray a God who is true? The answer to this question I firmly believe is YES.

I believe that all of Scripture is God-breathed and Spirit-inspired. God uses Scripture as his way of revealing himself to us, in a way that we can understand. John Burke, in chapter 7 of his book No Perfect People Allowed uses a good analogy to explain this.

Imagine if you as a three-dimensional creator created a two-dimensional world. You are Almighty Creator of Flatland! These two-dimensional people can move forward and back, left and right, but they have no comprehension of up or down. You can watch their every move from above, but they can't even comprehend you as a 3-D Creator 'above' watching in. You can do miracles in their world--your finger could appear and disappear. They can't imagine where it came from or where it went. Now, you could remain completely hidden, and they couldn't even comprehend your existence in another dimension. But what if you wanted to relate? If you wanted them to understand you--even love you? You would have to take the initiative to reveal yourself in 2-D descriptions, or in a form they could comprehend--because they cannot possibly 'see' you unless you pull them out of their two-dimensional world 'up' into your 3-D world. But you could penetrate their 2-D plane of existence, appearing as a flat, round, two-dimensional slice of your finger. In that form, you could help them see, not all of your 3-D splendor, but as much as is flatly possible for them to understand in two-dimensions.

Rob Bell also uses this analogy very well in his video Everything is Spiritual (definitely recommended).

Applying this analogy, it makes sense that God would use stories and writings to reveal himself. In the eras when the Pentateuch (first 5 books) and the rest of the Old Testament were being formed, the primary source of passing along information like this was through oral repetition of stories, chronologies, events, law codes and sayings. Legends and myths were also very important during this time, just as important as historical data is for us today. Cultures of this time used legends and myths to explain what they did not know (i.e. creation, formation of many languages, etc.). This explains why you can find many similar stories in different cultures and religions. It makes sense that God would also use legends to reveal himself to his people.

I also believe that God's hand orchestrated the creation of the Scripture writings. It is important to remember that God created the minds that imagined these stories, the mouths that told them, and the hands that wrote them. God's fingerprints were visible in the stories of ancient Israel. The scribes who wrote, translated, and re-wrote the Scriptures saw these fingerprints and were able to compile them into what is now the canon, so that God is revealed through the story of his people Israel. This was the purpose of writing the Scriptures.

The same can be said for the Gospels and the Epistles, though the historicity of these books is probably more accurate because their writers were much closer to the actual event. When Israel just wasn't getting it, God thrust his whole hand into our 2-D world and became one of us through Jesus Christ. The writers and editors of the Gospels then wrote how they saw God revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The writers and editors of the letters to the first-century churches were writing about how they saw God revealed in the life of the church, Christ incarnate.

The word used to describe the order of the books of the Bible, canon, means "reed" or "measuring stick". The Bible was not meant to be a chronological historical account of a nation. It was meant to be the theological story of God's love for his creation, us. All we have to do is look for His fingerprints.

I Just Love Jesus

This morning I sat in my Reading the Bible class and listened as the professors almost completely deconstructed my view of the Bible. I grew up with the holy stories of Abraham and Jacob, Moses and Joshua, and the people of Israel forming the foundations of my faith, and the faith of those who taught me. The Bible was Holy, it was truth and was absolutely, unquestionably, true. Anyone who claimed otherwise was just not Christian. Or, at least that's what I thought. Until today...

Today I learn, from the lectures and several other scholars in preparation reading, that the stories of the Israelite Jews and the first Century Christians may not be, and in many cases probably are not, entirely true. It is clear from studying the Scriptures that Moses did not write Genesis through Deuteronomy. There is no historical evidence of an exile from Egypt, or even a Jewish presence in early Egypt. The earliest available evidence of Israel in the land of Palestine is in the early Iron Age (1200 BCE). Even then their settlements were scattered and very much like the other Canaanite settlements. There are no signs of complete destruction of the city of Jericho. Many of the practices of Judaism, like circumcision, were also practiced by other religions of the Canaanite cultures. Even further, Jesus was not as much of an "oddball" in his time as what we may think. It was actually fairly common for people to claim they were the Messiah or the Son of God, do miracles, teach a radical new tradition of faith, build a following of disciples, and even ascend into heaven. Some of them weren't even Jewish.

The majority of the Old Testament books were written during and after the Babylonian exile in 539 BCE. They are a compilation of stories and sayings passed down through the generations, primarily orally, and the writers often changed and edited the accounts to fit their ideologies. The New Testament was formed in much the same way. None of the Gospels were actually written by disciples of Jesus. Though by the time the New Testament was written most of the Old Testament had already been formed and the Gospel writers used each other's accounts in their writing, the primary source for passing along these stories and traditions was through story-telling, orally. The writers of the books of the Bible were human, able to write with a biased perspective and able to make mistakes. This means that the stories that are now held to be True could have easily been myths and legends passed down through the generations, or exaggerated by the writers to support their theology, or details (like the name of the city being destroyed) could have been mixed up.

The Bible is not an historical account of a nation. In fact, this was never the primary concern for the writers of the Bible. It is, rather, a theological story (history) of a nation being created and molded by their God, their identity. Myths and legends were just as important then as historical data is to us today.

And this is what they're teaching me in seminary.... ;) If you are like me, by now you are completely questioning everything you've believed about the Bible. How do we know what is true? How do we acknowledge that the Bible is not fully true but still hold Scripture as authoritative? On what do we base our faith?

Does it matter? Does it really matter that some, or many, of the details in the Bible are not correct or true? Is our faith really founded on the historical account and accuracy of the Bible, or the story of Scripture? Regardless of inaccuracy, the story of Scripture is a passionate story of a God who loves that which He created and is forever working to redeem His children into the kingdom of heaven. It is this God, this story, this Way that the scribes were working to portray. What God is so full of love and grace? What story has so vibrantly lived throughout the generations? What Way has so powerfully shaped our lives and our world? This is Truth.

There are still many questions to be answered. The issue of Biblical accuracy is heavily debated among scholars. Sometimes I feel so naive among so many who know so much. And yet, as I walk along the lakeshore listening to Jesus teaching, the whole world has just opened up, and each day is a new journey to see what God reveals. I've been doing some work the past several days on entering into the story in Luke of Jesus calling the first disciples. I am always surprised that Simon, James, and John immediately left everything that they had to follow Jesus. What did they see in Jesus that drew them to him? What prompted them to such action? Perhaps my experience has been much the same as theirs: surprising yet delightfully true, so true that it sinks into your very soul and requires you to act.

One of my professors shared the story of a discussion between he and his wife on this very same issue, in which his wife responded "You do what you want, I just love Jesus." May we all just love Jesus. :)

Lord, I Have Come to the Lakeshore

As I was journaling last evening, uninvited the words "Lord, I have come to the lakeshore" came to mind. With these words came several images. The lakeshore is always a place that brings peace. The rhythm of the waves, the quiet breeze from the sea, the calling of birds or fishermen, the sand and pebbles beneath my feet. It is a place where I can come to find rest.

And as I walked along the lakeshore with my mind full of the events of the past two weeks, I was led through stories and images of the lakeshore. I remembered the story of Jesus standing on the lakeshore, calling his first disciples to leave their fishing and follow him. I saw Jesus walking along the shore, teaching and healing the people. I hear him telling Peter to put his nets out again, on the other side, to bring in such a catch that his nets are overflowing. And then I see him reaching out to grasp Peter's hand as he loses his faith and sinks into the depths of the sea. I see Jesus with his arms outstretched, calming the stormy waves. And I hear Jesus calling to the disciples, inviting them to join him for breakfast on the beach.

While I continue to walk along the shore, I notice the rocks rising from the sea, sharp and jagged. And I pick up a pebble, clean and smoothed by the rushing waves. As I look behind me, I see footprints dancing through the sand, two pairs where I have walked by Jesus' side, one where he has carried me.

As you walk along the lakeshore, what do you bring with you? What do you see? hear? touch? smell? What do you notice? As you remember the stories of Jesus walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, how do they speak to you? What are his words to you?

Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore

(Tu Has Venido a la Orilla)

Cesareo Gabarain

Lord, You have come to the lakeshore

looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones.

You only asked me to follow humbly.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,

kindly smiling, have spoken my name.

Now my boat's left on the shoreline behind me;

by your side I will seek other seas.

You know so well my possessions;

my boat carries no gold and no weapons;

But nets and fishes- my daily labor.

You need my hands, full of caring,

through my labors to give others rest,

and constant love that keeps on loving.

You, who have fished other oceans

ever longed-for by souls who are waiting,

my loving friend, as thus you call me.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
kindly smiling, have spoken my name.
Now my boat's left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas.