Is It Biblical?

 In Pastor Jeff's Blog

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. – John 1:1-4

Not long ago someone showed me a piece of paper given to her by another Christian. It included a number of quotes from the Quran, most of them rather violent. It was intended to be proof that Muslims are dangerous, and that Islam is a violent religion.

I wondered if that Christian ever read our own scriptures. Here are just a few tidbits from our Holy Book:

• Got a rebellious son? Take him outside the city walls and stone them to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
• Daughter lose her virginity outside of marriage? Stone her too. (Deuteronomy 22:20-21)
• Slavery is OK, and slaves should be obedient. (Ephesians 6:5-6)
• All you guys with a man bun – you’re degrading yourself. (1 Corinthians 11:14-15)
• And for heaven’s sake women, be silent in church! (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

My point here is not to undermine the authority of Scripture. Nor is it to promote Islam. Instead, I want to make two points.

First, before we point out the speck in another religion’s eye, let’s deal with the log in our own.

Second, at least for Lutherans, we don’t read all Scripture equally. We read all Scripture through the lens of the Gospel. And when there’s a conflict, the Gospel wins.

Which is why I couldn’t agree more with this quote from Michael Clevenger, “Whenever Christians say, ‘But is it biblical?’ I get uneasy. Smashing an enemy’s infant against a rock is ‘biblical.’ I’m much more interested in if it is like Christ.”

Jeff Marian serves as lead pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN

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Comments
  • nicholas Sovell

    great quote, thanks for sharing

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