Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Molesters or Sodomites? An Issue of Interpretation

“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ* for all who believe.” - Romans 3.21-22

*or through the faith of Jesus Christ 


The verse above, from Paul’s letter to the Romans, is critical to Paul’s theology and to the argument of the letter. And yet, in this important sentence, we have an issue of translation. In the original Greek that Paul wrote, the phrase he uses at the end of verse 22, “pisteos Jesu Christou,” is a construction that can mean either “faith in Jesus Christ,” or “faith of Jesus Christ.” Although most modern translations use “faith in” in the text, they include this difference in the footnotes. This verse is incredibly significant for our understanding of salvation, the cross, and a host of other things. Does God’s righteousness come through our faith in Jesus, or through Jesus’ own faithfulness to God? The text of scripture does not tell us here; we must use other parts of scripture and other things we already believe to decide how to correctly interpret this verse.


I am highlighting this particular verse simply to make the point that scripture is not as easy, cut and dried as it first seems. A student of the Bible, seeking to grow in faith and more deeply understand the scriptures, will soon learn of all of the decisions that must be made in the interpretation of these ancient texts. This example is linguistic; there are also cultural and historical barriers to overcome, textual variants to account for, and lots and lots of symbolism.


I want to convince you of this truth not to discourage you from reading the Bible, but to encourage you to read the Bible in conversation with other Christians who have studied it. Resources such as a study Bible can bring you into conversation with scholars and pastors. In the Sunday sermon, I attempt to help you to interpret it according to the Gospel. Ultimately, Jesus is the key to interpret scripture, so the Holy Spirit inside you is also a faithful guide.


Wise interpretation is vitally important in our current discussions about human sexuality. One side will tell you that the other side doesn’t love others and preaches a Gospel of judgment. One side will tell you that the other side has left the Bible behind to follow culture. Neither of these are true. Both sides are seeking to love others; both sides are seeking to faithfully follow the Bible. What we actually have at issue is biblical interpretation. What cultural, historical, theological, and linguistic tools do we need to understand the prescriptions of the law in Leviticus 18:22? What if I told you that 1 Corinthians 6:9 has a long history of being translated “boy molesters,” not “sodomites,” and was only changed to indicate homosexuality more generally in 1946?


But I’m not trying to convince you of my point of view. I’m trying to help you have better conversations about a deeply personal and painful issue that is ripping our churches apart. Please stop saying people are hateful because they don’t agree with your interpretation of the Bible. Please stop saying people don’t follow the Bible because they don’t agree with your interpretation of it. Please study the approximately seven scriptures that are at issue in this debate. Learn the history, learn the culture, learn the language that will help us understand what they are actually talking about. And approach your brothers and sisters with grace to listen and love.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Who Sinned?

One tiny boy that Anna saw in the clinic in Haiti stuck out to me. He was maybe about 4, the same age as Jack but much smaller. His teeth were rotten; four molars and four front teeth to be extracted. If sin is the corruption of God’s good creation, then why is there this effect of sin in his mouth? In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus, “who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” So, who sinned, this child or his mom? On the surface, he has cavities because he drinks too much juice. Of course, then, it’s his mother’s fault; she sinned, she’s the one who lets him drink the juice. That’s how I was raised to think about sin; it’s all about individual choices. Her sinful choice to not properly take care of her child caused his teeth to rot. 


I no longer believe that the answers are so simple. When you look beneath the surface, you realize that tooth rot was not as big of a problem in Haiti until little plastic bags of sugar water became cheap and easy. Companies, some from the US, exploit the poor by selling sugar that rots their teeth to children and parents who don’t know any better. They don’t know because they have little to no education. His mom didn’t have Health Ed in school; she doesn’t see a dentist regularly. How is she to know that drinking juice causes cavities? Now deeper. Economic inequities cause her lack of education; there is no free public school in Haiti. Corruption in government and economic sanctions over the years, including a crippling debt load that drives inflation, destroyed Haiti’s economy. Racism and fear are part of that, as well as greed and abuse of power. 


So who sinned? The UN and IMF, the US government, the juice companies, the corrupt Haitian government, the mom, or the bacteria? Rather than looking for who is to blame, like the disciples and the Pharisees, we must learn to recognize the greater forces that shape individual decisions. People are caught up in destructive systems created by a thousand little individual choices of unkindness and self-interest, “systems of sin”. The Bible refers to this as “powers and authorities.” (Eph. 6:12) Systemic sin is impossible to avoid and difficult to overcome. “We are all sinners” not simply based on our choices, but also based on systems we participate in and prop up because we don’t know, don’t care, or think we don’t have the power to break. If you are involved in the system of capitalism and international free trade, like say you order things off Amazon; if you enjoy the freedom and wealth of the US built at the expense of our neighboring countries, then you are culpable in this system of sin. We are all sinners in need of grace.


Jesus derails the blame game by pointing instead to an act of mercy, “that the works of God may be revealed in him.” Jesus heals the blind man in Jerusalem and thereby reveals God’s work in opposition to the hypocrisy of the Jewish government that values safety over justice and adherence to rules over mercy. When Anna pulled this baby’s teeth, she showed that an act of mercy is more important than following systems that value safety over mercy and that say who deserves mercy. Such an act is God’s work to oppose systemic sin in Haiti. It is only possible by God’s grace. Grace forgives us for our complicentcy in sin, grace enables us to do works of mercy, and grace empowers us to work against the systems of sin in our world. A thousand little acts of mercy, made possible by God’s grace, is our best hope for overcoming sin, for joining in as God brings the reign of God on earth, as it is in heaven.