Showing posts with label intratextual fundamentalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label intratextual fundamentalism. Show all posts

Monday, May 2, 2022

The Bible: How Christians Are Divided About Their Sacred Book

 



For Christians, the Bible is a sacred book but they view it differently and argue about how to interpret its contents. When it comes to Scripture, Christians are A House Divided.

In this post, I consider two major ways Christians view the Bible and what that means for faith, relationships, and society.

I also provide you with a variety of quotes about the Bible so you can see how Christians describe their differing views.

If you are a Christian or if you've been around Christians, you know they can disagree about all kinds of things. Even Christians who have studied the biblical texts in the original languages disagree about, which ancient manuscripts to use, how to translate those texts, and how to interpret the texts that have been translated.

Two Views of The Bible

Despite the great variety of groups that identify as Christian, when it comes to views of the Bible, there are two major groups.

1. God's Life Manual. God is the author of the Bible, which is inerrant and infallible in its original manuscripts.  In short, the Bible is God's Word. The focus is on what God has to say rather than on the men who wrote the different documents within the Bible over some 1,000 years.

2. Sacred Anthology. The Bible is a collection of different literary works by two groups of inspired authors. The oldest group were Israelites who wrote the works Christians call the Old Testament over hundreds of years. The newest group were mostly Jewish men who wrote about Jesus' life and teachings in gospels and letters some 1900 years ago. These New Testament works were mostly written in the second half of the first century.

The Two Groups

Several factors gave rise to the two major perspectives on the Bible we have today. Hundreds of years ago, men agreed on what ancient documents should become part of the Bible we see today. If you are familiar with Bibles, you know there are core contents common to Christians around the world but some Bibles have documents, called books, that are different. Despite the different contents, the major disagreements occur in how the contents of the Bible should influence how Christians live.

Sacred Anthology Group

The concept of a Sacred Anthology (my term) gradually emerged from two major fields of study coming out of the period in history known as the enlightenment.

Since the middle ages, scientists discovered new things about the world that did not fit a literal translation of biblical texts. For example, the world was round and did not have four corners as would be true of a flat earth (Isaiah 11:12). In another famous example, Galileo was arrested in the 1600s for his teachings about astronomy that appeared to contradict the theology of his day about the relationship of the earth to the sun. And of course, Darwin's 1859 On the Origin of Species continues to separate groups of Christians about the origin of life.

In addition to the scientific study of the world, Bible scholars examined ancient biblical manuscripts and learned more about ancient languages and cultures. They applied their understanding to the biblical texts, which eventually led to a series of improved translations, which identified variations in the old manuscripts and possible ways to understand ancient words and phrases. Scholars were thinking critically about the biblical texts. In addition to language studies, scholars attended to literary styles and how the ancient biblical writers dealt with the people and events of the times in which they lived.

The Sacred Anthology would eventually emerge from a combination of advances in scientific knowledge and scholarly analyses of the biblical texts plus a desire to deal with the rise of fundamentalism as seen in the next paragraph.

God's Life Manual Group

Not surprisingly, some Christian leaders were alarmed by what looked like a multifaceted attack on the Bible in the late 1800s when scientists were reporting discoveries, which seemed at odds with the biblical statements about the world. These Christians established what they saw as fundamental beliefs that Christians needed to affirm and honor if they were going to have a firm foundation for biblical faith. At the core of their concern was the Bible. 

Read more about fundamentalism and sacred texts.


The tenets of faith were grounded in the Bible. The Bible was not just a guide for salvation from hell in the afterlife but it was a guide to right living. If you could not trust the biblical statements about history or the world, how could you trust those parts of the Bible that dealt with eternal life or morality? Scientific explanations of the origins of the universe and life were pitted against a literal understanding of Genesis. The Genesis texts have also been used as part of the arguments fundamentalists use to support a binary division of the sexes (male or female) and to tie gender (man or woman) to observable sexual characteristics.

 The Ten Commandments were not mere suggestions. Christians may not have to sacrifice animals like the ancient Israelites did, but God's ideas about right and wrong did not change. People still needed to live according to biblical laws and principles. What God said about the world and the creation of life must be accepted as factually true. Simultaneously, what God identified as sin cannot be brushed aside.

The Bible is God's guiding light. The Bible explains how people can be saved from eternal damnation and live in a right relationship with God who loves them. In the stories and teachings of the Bible, Christians learn how to live a life that is pleasing to God and remain free from the perils of sin in this life and the next. The Bible is God's Life Manual.

The Scholar's Dilemma

In my view, evangelical scholars are in a no-person's land between a fundamentalist view of the Bible as God's Life Manual and a rejection of the Bible as an interesting collection of works but having no particular value for living life today. 

Some evangelical scholars have lost their positions in conservative schools because of their challenges to a literal interpretation of the Bible as God's Life Manual. It isn't just about creation vs. evolution, although that remains an issue. But, as I have written elsewhere (e.g., A House Divided), many issues deal with sex-linked moral concerns like birth control and abortion. It is well known that there are biblical passages limiting the role of women in the church and the home and of course, same-sex sex is sinful. 

There isn't much room for evangelical scholars any more. They seem to either keep silent or endorse the fundamentalists' perspective on the Bible. Of course, fundamentalists disagree, which is why there are so many different protestant groups. Nevertheless, they have found common cause over some of the aforementioned moral issues and work to change societies based on these views derived from a commitment to the Bible as God's Word--God's Life Manual.

In recent decades, some evangelical scholars have left their fundamentalist groups and joined mainline churches. Some, if not many, are loosely identified as progressive Christians. Scholars like Marcus Borg and Peter Enns have offered a way to take the Bible seriously but not literally. This new narrative embraces the truth in ancient stories as seen through the eyes of ancient writers. These modern scholars explain many extraordinary biblical stories in terms of similes, metaphors, hyperboles, and other literary devices. They embrace a new spirituality as a reality without taking stories about talking animals, floating axe heads, and a giant fish literally. For these writers and their followers, the Bible becomes a Sacred Anthology. Christians may return to the Bible again for fresh insights into spiritual truths without being defensive about events that seem too magical to be true.

Read more about 

The Purge of Righteous Minds in Christian Higher Education

Difficulties in Christian Higher Education Illustrate Sharp Divisions


The Bible in Society

Some Research

It is no surprise when scholars disagree about the contents and interpretation of the Bible. Perhaps what is more important is an appreciation of how Christians engage with the Bible.

Fortunately, The American Bible Society (ABS) provides an annual report called The State of the Bible. As you read about the findings, differences in views become apparent. Their language of contrasts is literal reading compared to symbolic reading.

In 2022, they found that 77% of Americans own a Bible. They found a decline of 21% in Bible Users from 2021 to 2022--people who use the Bible 3-4 times a year on their own (that is, outside of church). That decline places users at 39%. In fact, 40% never use the Bible on their own. Daily use is at 10%.

How does the Bible influence morality? The survey asked about America's morality and found that 86% agreed that American moral values are in decline. What is the cause of America's Moral Decline? Several choices are presented. Most thought it was a "lack of positive parental involvement" with much lower percentages considering a "low level of respect for the Bible as a  moral guide."

What about the Bible and character development? Close to half (49%) agreed that "Bible reading is an important component of a child's character development."

What do Americans believe about the Bible? About 1/4 (27%) see the Bible as the inspired word of God without errors. Another response was a 15% endorsement of "The Bible is the actual word of God and should be taken literally, word for word."

God's Life Manual.  Although I created the term based on my research, I was surprised to see the following item, which comes close to my idea. Here's a quote from the ABS report.

"Nearly half of American adults (49%) agree with this statement: The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life. Fewer than one-third (31%) disagree."

Why do Bible users read the Bible? Many reported "It brings me closer to God" (41%).

In the ABS report, you will see more details along with suggestions for why the 2022 data have changed. See how they think of the pandemic as a factor.

**********

In 2017, Lifeway Research asked: How much of the Bible have you personally read? Only 11% had read the Bible and only 10% had not read any of it.

How do people view the Bible? These responses help understand the concept of God's Life Manual

Lifeway asked: "Which of the following describe the Bible? 

About half thought the Bible is a good source of morals (52%). Several descriptions were in the 34-38% range so, close to 1/3: Historical account 38%, helpful today 37%, True 36%, Life-changing 35%, a story 34%. Some negatives were: outdated 14%, bigoted 8%, harmful 7%.

**********

Comments

We know that the Bible is a part of American life with about 3/4 of the population owning a Bible. Among those who read or use the Bible, about half associate the Bible with morality and a guide to a meaningful life. Although strict literalism is low, for many, the Bible is God's Life Manual.

Of particular interest is the low level of Bible reading, which leaves Christians vulnerable to the influence of clergy and others when it comes to understanding what is in the Bible and how they ought to live. This has likely been true for centuries given the fact that so many people were illiterate for most of history. Thus, it is perhaps more important to know what clergy know about the Bible and what they believe and teach. And to what extent clergy sermons or guidance influence congregant behavior.

Some Christians take care to be more precise about their views of the Bible than others do. There are some terms worth considering.

Infallible - incapable of making mistakes or being wrong

Authoritative- able to be trusted as accurate, true, or reliable

Inspired-God is the source of the contents of Scripture


Related Books and Resources

A House Divided

How the Bible Actually Works

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time

Christian Morality

Living Well

Discipline with Respect: Christian Family Edition

👉 Bible Software- See various collections














Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

 Academia   Geoff W Sutton     

ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 


Some Views on the Bible


Southern Baptists 2000

[Retrieved 2022, Aug 31]

"The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation."

Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.

*****

Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) [Retrieved 2022, Aug 31]

THE SCRIPTURES INSPIRED (AG 16 Fundamental Truths)

"The Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are the revelation of God to man, the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct."

2 Timothy 3:15-17 [KJV/NIV]
1 Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV/NIV]
2 Peter 1:21 [KJV/NIV]

*****

US Catholics. [Retrieved 2022 Aug 31]

"Sacred Scripture is the inspired word of God, the collection of sacred books that hand on the truth of Revelation in written form."

[Note, the Catholic position is nuanced. Read more for details.

*****

Disciples of Christ. [Retrieved 2022, Aug 31] See https://disciples.org/our-identity/

"We study scripture for ourselves

We are called to study and read scripture for ourselves. Rather than having tests of faith and creedal statements, we critically and thoughtfully study scripture, taking into account the history and background – the context – in which it was written."

*****
National Association of Evangelicals 

Source = https://www.nae.org/statement-of-faith/ [Retrieved 2022 Aug 31]

"We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God."

Moody Bible Institute
There view of the Bible is lengthy so here is the link.
https://www.moodybible.org/beliefs/positional-statements/bible/

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world. 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 3:16. Source https://billygraham.org/about/what-we-believe/


Peter Enns 
This scholar has written a lot about the Bible here is a link to his essay https://peteenns.com/what-is-the-bible/

Marcus Borg
Marcus Borg has written a lot about the Bible. In this post he refers to inerrancy.
https://marcusjborg.org/posts-by-marcus/what-the-bible-is/

John Spong
Spong comments on literal biblical interpretation.
https://religiondispatches.org/why-it-is-heresy-to-read-the-bible-literally-an-interview-with-john-shelby-spong/






Monday, April 18, 2022

Conversion, Supernatural Experiences, St Paul

 


The man who influenced billions of people
based on a spiritual experience

One Easter, I sat with my family in church. The little ones, all nicely dressed, were squirming, perhaps thinking of chocolates, or was I projecting? After the rousing songs, I heard a sermon, which included a quote from the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians about Jesus’ resurrection

The pastor's words struck me as strange—not what I read in the Bible. What was different?

This post is about Paul's conversion experience. I look at the conversion from the perspective of the psychology of religion-- a multidimensional view I call a theobiopsychosocial view.

What was different?

The preacher read from the New Living Translation (NLT). After a list of people who saw Jesus following the resurrection, the NLT paraphraser wrote "I also saw him." But, in Acts, Paul never saw Jesus. In fact, the NIV translates the Greek texts to say that Jesus "appeared" to the others. 

Those of you who read about the post-resurrection appearances (e.g., Luke 24: 13-35) know, according to the two on a walk, that the women at the tomb saw a "vision of angels who said he was alive." Those two men didn't recognize their companion as Jesus until he broke bread. Then he disappeared.

In Paul's story, he was a man on a murderous mission (See Acts 9). He obtained official letters from the High Priest to take the Jesus Jews as prisoners to Jerusalem. But he was "arrested." He had a physical attack. He saw a light, fell, and heard a voice, which he did not recognize. The voice said it was Jesus. Saul got up but he couldn't see. He was blind for three days. It was a lot like a mini-stroke.

According to basic Greek to English translations (e.g., NIV, ESV) of Paul’s conversion experience, Paul never saw Jesus. At his conversion, only Saul/Paul experienced a shining light [(ἐξαίφνης ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ περιαστράψαι φῶς (Acts 22: 6 )] and heard (ἤκουσα φωνὴν) an Aramaic (or Hebrew) speaker (Acts 26.14)

Those with Paul did not hear a voice.

[Greek Notes: φῶς = phos = light;  φωνὴν = phone = voice]

 Paul was one of those Jews who had spiritual experiences. He and other first generation Jewish Christians acted upon their visions.

Paul’s spiritual experience was of course life-transforming!

Paul had a spiritual experience.

Paul experienced Jesus in a unique way.

Paul heard a voice speaking Aramaic (or Hebrew)

Paul did not recognize the speaker.

Paul didn't see Jesus.

Paul's life was abruptly changed.


Paul went on to write many letters and encourage new churches in a part of the Roman empire. However, Paul’s experience was not reported like seeing Jesus in bodily form. If  someone could capture it on video, it would not include a physical Jesus. Paul heard a voice and those with him did not understand the voice.

Paul's faith was grounded in a spiritual experience. The physical attack got his attention. Like many spiritual people struck with a sudden personal disaster that stops them in their tracks, Paul experienced God and immediately saw his actions as wrongheaded. He changed directions. It's like a parable for repentance.

 Paul deconverted from one way of being a Jew and converted to Jesus way of being a Jew.

Check the texts

For reference, refer to what the author of Acts wrote about Paul’s experience with the light and the voice.

   Acts 9: 3- 8

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. 

   Acts 22: 6-9

“About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.

  Acts 26: 13- 15

13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.

And now read Paul’s own words.

Paul’s Words in 1 Corinthians 15

In 1 Corinthians 15:8 , Paul adds himself to the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection: 

“…and last of all he appeared to me also,

as to one abnormally born” (NIV).

The Greek word translated appearance clearly refers to a unique and personal but nonvisual encounter with Jesus and is consistent with Paul’s unique audition-he saw a light flash and heard a voice (ἤκουσεν φωνὴν). 

Jesus only appeared as a voice to Paul. 

The experience was convincing and life-transforming. But the event did not include a recognizable embodied Jesus. In fact, Saul/Paul did not even recognize Jesus from the voice so, he asked "Who are you?"

However, notice the different word used in the NLT (emphasis added). This is the translation the aforementioned preacher used when emphasizing the physical resurrection in his Easter sermon.

1 Cor. 15: 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. (NLT)

(Greek)  ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί. (SBLGNT) [ ὤφθη = ophthe = he appeared]

The Acts author does use the Greek for "I saw" in reference to the bright light in Acts 22:18 [εἶδον = eidon = I saw]

 

Do the details matter?

The details do not matter for Christians who appreciate the life-transforming experiences of visions of Jesus and spiritual experiences that include appearances, visions, and hearing voices speak to them. Christians have had these experiences for centuries.

The details do matter for Christians who want to count Paul’s experience with Jesus as a literal encounter with a bodily form of Jesus following his death. In this selective literalism, the sermon presentations are more like seeing Jesus as a resuscitated corpse instead of the spiritual appearances in the Bible.

The details might matter to those who question Paul’s apostleship credentials. Paul was not sent as one of the original twelve apostles. As he said, he came along later and the original apostles would need to be convinced of Paul's story.

St Paul's conversion details reveal a difference between fundamentalist and progressive interpretations of the biblical texts. 

And the details reveal the importance of different words used in different translations or paraphrases of the Bible.

 For those of us who are not fluent in biblical languages, we should consult a few translations and be very careful with paraphrased versions and commentaries that reflect the theology of contemporary theologians instead of the words of the original authors. Even artists portray the experience in different ways (Examples of different artists' paintings.)


Related posts

Christians divided over the resurrection

St Paul and Christians Divided About Women

Fundamentalist Religion

Religious Conversions


Psychological Factors

In the psychology of religion, researchers find for every conversion there is also a deconversion. In Paul's case, he deconverted from one branch of Judaism to another.

Saul/ Paul's sudden about-face resembles the phenomenon of reaction formation. That is, a person who is zealous about a particular issue may be covering anxiety about something they do not wish to accept as true.

The mere exposure effect is real. People come to believe statements they have repeatedly heard.

When it comes to reading the New Testament or any piece of literature, our brains are biased to understand what we read based on our beliefs. 

The experience of a fall, flashing light, a human voice without a visible source are not uncommon neuropsychological findings linked to a neurological event such as a stroke with or without a seizure. Note also Paul's report of a lifelong "thorn." This neuropsychology note is conjecture and not crucial to understanding the reports of Paul's experience. However, he did report physical phenomena.

Notes

The translations are from biblegateway.com.

The Greek is the SBLGNT, also from biblegateway.com

I used Bill Mounce for some of the Greek texts such as the word eidon meaning "I saw." https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/eidon 

Saul/Paul. Paul's name was Saul, which was changed to Paul following his conversion.

The word apostle means someone who is sent. In Christianity, the apostles were considered to be the 12 disciples chosen by Jesus with the replacement of Judas. Paul saw himself as an apostle. Christians use the term apostle today in different ways. See CT.

Spiritual experiences. People of many faiths report supernatural experiences including visions and auditions (visual and auditory). The difference between these experiences and hallucinations probably depends on how the person describes their experience, how the experience functions in their lives, and how others present report the experience.

Neurology and neuropsychology. Scientists have attributed St Paul’s flashing light and voice experience to neurological conditions such as temporal lobe epilepsy (e.g., Landsborough, 1987). He had other supernatural experiences and was bothered by something he called “a thorn in the flesh,” which could easily be understood as persistent effects. I note that the fact that science can explain a phenomenon does not mean it was not a meaningful spiritual experience. As humans, our experiences are interconnected among many areas of our functioning (See SCOPES).

Strokes are a leading cause of disability and death. Stokes can lead to single or repeated seizures (CDC).


Theobiopsychosocial perspective.  I mentioned this multidimensional perspective on the conversion experience. This is what I mean.

  Theo- a spiritual experience, hearing a voice attributed to Jesus.

   bio- bodily experiences accompanying the spiritual experience- seeing a light, falling, temporary blindness, not eating or drinking

   psycho- His core self-identity changed significantly, even getting a new name (Saul-Paul) and life direction. He changed his behavior and cognition--his thinking about Jesus and being a Jew.

   social context- he was on an aggressive mission with social support but the attack was personal. Later, his social context changed dramatically as you see in Acts 9. His heistant new supporters were former targets and Paul now becomes a target.


Acts and Paul. The traditional author of Acts is Luke and Acts may have been written between 70 and 90 or perhaps later. The death of Paul has been estimated between 62-68. There are a variety of dates online.

Disclosure: I do not claim to be a religious scholar or Greek scholar. I have some coursework and personal study in both religion and Greek. I am willing to be corrected by evidence. 

 Photo credit: From Bing search- free to use


Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 Learning more about Paul


The First Paul by Boyd and Crossan
















In Search of Paul by Crossan & Reed





I offer a psychology of religion perspective on Christian morality in







Please check out my website   www.suttong.com

   and see my books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton    


You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     

  ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 













Monday, May 24, 2021

Christians, the Sabbath, and Moral Diversity

 Jesus The Progressive Rabbi



The way Christians deal with the Sabbath Commandment offers insight into how different groups read and interpret the Bible. Let’s have a look at what some are doing or not doing based on different views.

Christians are divided about the commandment to honor the Sabbath by keeping it holy (Exodus 20: 8-11).

The Old Sabbath

Most Christians in the West do not observe either the Sabbath or the principle of a day of rest. Jews who keep the commandment observe the Sabbath (Shabbat) from sunset on Friday evening until Saturday evening. Some Christians also observe the Friday-Saturday Sabbath. Perhaps the most well-known of these are the Seventh Day Adventists—here’s what they say (Adventist.org):

God wanted to show us how important the Sabbath was to Him and how important it is for our own well being. The least we can do is take one day a week off from work and secular activities to focus on our Creator and the world He created for us. 

The Bible tells us that the Sabbath isn’t just any day off. We are asked to refrain from pursuing our own business or our own interests and instead look toward the joys we can find in God and the world He created for us.

The explanation of the Adventists is positive. Indeed, people could benefit from a day of rest as I wrote in Living Well. However, the seriousness of the Sabbath can be seen in the threat to life itself.

In Numbers 15: 32-36, a story of a man caught picking up sticks on the Sabbath reveals the high risk of violating this commandment. He was placed under guard while Moses talked to God about the penalty. Perhaps ironically, based on the law written in stone, the man was stoned to death. As Friedman and Dolansky (2011) note, the 24-hour time period of the Sabbath was a sacred boundary and like boundaries of physical space such as the temple, the boundaries should not be violated.

Sunday Christians

Most Christians have set aside a day of week for worship. Observant Christians consider Sunday the Lord’s Day and remember his resurrection on Sunday morning. However, until recently, Christians treated the Lord’s Day like a Sabbath in that they refrained from nonessential work. Christian families did not shop or engage in sports. And some communities had “blue laws,” which set limits on which businesses could open. Blue Laws were also called Sunday Laws. According to Britannica, they may have been called blue because an old Connecticut version was printed on blue paper. One US restaurant, Chick-fil-A, still closes on Sunday to honor the Lord’s Day (businessinsider). So, Sundays are not the Sabbath and most Christians do not appear to feel the need to keep this one of the famous Ten Commandments.

Jesus and the Sabbath

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Jesus was a Jew. I say that because I think Christians forget that Jesus kept the Jewish law. However, the Gospel writers report times when he violated what the Jewish teachers of his day decided on allowable practices on the Sabbath (e.g., see Mark 2: 23-28). His progressive teaching focused on the importance of the Sabbath to people’s well-being. He didn’t do away with the Sabbath but he certainly offered a new perspective.

How Christians Interpret Scripture

Many Christians appear to interpret scripture based on their current culture and understanding of what Jesus said. The interpretation of the Sabbath Commandment is a prime example. As Western cultures became more pluralistic, Christians became less rigid about a weekly holy day yet, some do remain rigid about other commandments or teachings. Consider the following observations.

1. The majority of Christians ignore a literal reading of the Sabbath commandment. Only a minority observe the biblical Sabbath of Friday to Saturday. At first glance, it would seem most Christians avoid a fundamentalist view--that is, applying a part of the sacred text based on a literal reading of what the text says.

2. Most Christians decided Sunday would be a holy day. Thus they established rules to mark it as holy or sacred. It was as if they took their cue from the commandment about the Sabbath—to have a holy day when one should not work. However, for the most part, these Sunday rules have disappeared in western cultures. Most Christians appear to feel free or liberated from any idea of a rigid holy or sacred day.

3. Some Christians appeared to go overboard. In my childhood, conservative churches had Sunday School plus morning worship for many hours on a Sunday morning and again on Sunday night. There was no rest for the righteous and Sundays were not a day of fun for children. Today, for most Christians in the West, Sunday is a day off. Observant Christians do attend a service on the weekend but the time spent at church has diminished in recent decades.

4. Christians have different opinions about which laws from the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) should be observed. The observance (or nonobservance) of the commandment about the Sabbath shows that not even the famous Ten Commandments are considered binding in a literal sense.

5. I’ve heard many evangelical Christians say Christians should keep the moral laws of the OT but not the ceremonial laws. In this view, Jesus did away with the need to follow ceremonial laws like animal sacrifice.

6. Many Christians believe in freedom from the Old Laws because they accept the teaching of Paul who wrote to the Romans (6:14) “You are not under law, but under grace.” Of course, there are rules in the New Testament (NT) too and Christians vary on which ones to keep and which ones to ignore. For example, Christians disagree on a woman’s role in ministry based on how they interpret NT texts. Christians also disagree on rules about tithing, tattoos, birth control, military service, modest clothing, and same-sex relationships.

7. Some Christians follow Jesus example of creative interpretation of the scriptures. As Enns (2014) points out, when Jesus’ disciples were caught picking grain on a Sabbath, Jesus referred the accusers to a story about the respected King David illegally taking holy bread. Thus, the focus on human need became the primary way to interpret rules.

Moral Diversity—A Challenge

What it means to consider Jesus commandment about how to love one’s neighbor is a task still being worked out by Christians.

A Christian approach would seem to be a form of humility that allows wide latitude and avoiding self-righteous claims of being holier than others in the way one acts morally.

In my view, Christians ought not to ignore social justice and a consideration of right actions towards our fellow humans; however, deciding on the right course of action does require judgment. And judgments will vary even by those desiring to sincerely do the right thing.

It is this diversity I tried to capture in the various moral matters I wrote about in A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures.

Cite this post

Sutton, G. W. (2021, May 24). Christians, the sabbath, and moral diversity: Jesus the progressive rabbi. Retrieved from https://dividedchristians.blogspot.com/2021/05/christians-sabbath-and-moral-diversity.html 

About me

I am a psychologist interest in moral psychology and other topics connected to the psychology of religion and spirituality. I no longer provide clinical psychology services.


References

Enns, P. (2014). The bible tells me so: why defending scripture has made us unable to read it. HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Friedman, R. E. & Dolansky, S. (2011). The Bible now (p. 132). Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.

Sutton, G. W. (2016). A House Divided: Sexuality, morality, and Christian cultures. Eugene, OR: Pickwick. ISBN: 9781498224888

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Saturday, January 4, 2020

Methodist House Divides Over Sexual Minority Beliefs



The proposed split of the United Methodist Church (UMC) is a cultural marker of the power of deeply held belief to divide religious people. The split is over sex and morality. Specifically, the desire of one group of Methodists to lift the denomination's ban on same-sex marriage and LGBT clergy.

Christians have been divided over moral issues since the time of Jesus. Fortunately, this split does not appear carved in blood as Christian divisions sometimes did centuries ago. Instead, a proposal refers to respecting differences. Here's a quote from USA Today (Jan 3, 2020)
"The undersigned propose restructuring The United Methodist Church by separation as the best means to resolve our differences, allowing each part of the Church to remain true to its theological understanding while recognizing the dignity, equality, integrity, and respect of every person," the proposed agreement states. "
The story has been widely circulated; however, the proposed split has not happened yet. In May 2020, the UMC will meet in Indianapolis where any official action would take place. Comments in the story reflect irreconcilable differences (e.g., "polarized sides") and the language of subgroups (e.g., "conservative," "centrist and progressive").

Millions of dollars are at stake thus, the group also addressed ways to deal with the division of money if a new Methodist denomination is created.

The whole presentation in the news media appears to show a friendliness between the groups and a thoroughly modern view of divorce as a good solution. The divorce analogy makes sense, but serves as another reminder that many Western Christians have changed beliefs about acceptable relationships.

Here's a link to a news video on the proposed split from Chicago's WGN




Thoughts on The Deep Divide

In my reading of works by religious scholars, it has been common to see inclusive language suggesting respect of people with diverse opinions about Christian beliefs and practices. Unfortunately, this benign language obscures the deep divisions and palpable differences that barely keep acrimonious remarks unspoken among congregants who ostensibly desire to love their neighbors.

Scholars appear to revel in their embrace of diversity and "different voices." Sometimes the revelry appears superficial as in ensuring discussion groups have people from this or that subgroup of humanity are represented. I say it's superficial because no group can ever represent all the possible subgroups in a large society or organization. 

The discussion in the media about the UMC split seems quite benign as I suggested above. Nevertheless, such a divide would not occur unless there is some driving force. Holding beliefs is one thing, acting on them is quite another. In general, human emotions are the driver of behavioral action. It would be hard to imagine one group splitting from another by simply saying something like, "You know what, we can't seem to agree on this issue so why don't you go this way and we'll go that way." I'm not suggesting this did or did not occur. I have no present connections with the UMC. 

I am suggesting that all Christians ought to pay attention to the powerful feelings linked to statements about morality and the actions Christians take to persuade others to live according to their moral sentiments, if people want to understand what's happening at a deeper level. I understand that other ideas of depth may be theological, philosophical, sociological, and anthropological, but my focus is on the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality though I consider what scholars write in other disciplines.

From the research on moral foundations theory, matters of same-sex relationships, appear driven by concerns for sanctity and the sacred and fit well with the intratextual fundamentalism theory related to how different Christians read the sacred text, that is, the Bible.


For more on how Christian groups wrestle with the morality of same-sex marriage and relationships, see A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures. 

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