Nobody Knows What it Means...It's Provocative.
I would like to get some dialogue going here on this site, so I thought I would start with something that's pretty in your face. This is from a guy named Kierkegaard. Not only will this discussion be cool (if we actually carry one out - which means if you actually respond) but you can also go to your teachers at school and brag tell them your youth group is discussing Kierkegaard (and I say this because I know nobody really cares). Okay, too much talk, here's the quote, slightly paraphrased to make it easier to follow:The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except promising yourself you will do what it says. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever be able to live in the real world?
This is where Bible Studies come in. Many Bible Studies are simply grand inventions to defend ourselves against the Bible, to make sure that we are able to continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. It is dreadful to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.
Think about this for a moment. Then respond here on the blog and tell me what you think this means. Do you agree or disagree with what he is saying?
Labels: bible study, discipleship, discussion
posted by Wilson Ryland at
10:16 AM
13 Comments:
So Christians don't want to understand the bible because they think that once they understand it they will be help accountable to do what it says... I think that is very interesting. I agree with what he is saying. I have never thought of understanding the Bible to make us be that way but now that I think of it that is so true. It actually makes me sad to know that Christians are scared or ashamed to understand the Bible...I am not sure what word to use... and to really dive in to the living word. I will admit I am the same way, I wish so much that I wasn't afraid to dive in and really take hold of what God has to say. I would not say i completely understand the bible but I do have a general good understanding of it.
I kinda of have a question... So if Christians really want to try to understand the Bible how can we over come the fact of feeling obligated to live according to it and willing let the Bible become our life guideline?
December 12, 2007 1:47 PM
Great question. I'll save my response because I want to hear what some other people have to say.
December 13, 2007 6:47 PM
i think i read it differently than lydia, because i absolutely disagree with some of what he's saying.
no, the Bible is not easy in any way to understand. no, we are not "scheming swindlers" pretending that we can't understand it. that is, in no way, true. the Bible is the most difficult piece of "literature" ever written, and the most amazing, challenging, beautiful thing written. it has to be, it was inspired by God, and in no way are we supposed to be able to think of it as "easy to understand."
yes, maybe thhere is a problem of people not wanting to know the Bible for fear of having to live it out, but i truly believe that "Christian" is such a loose term, that that statement has so much flexibility to it. Disciples of Christ are aimed to live their lives for Christ, so questioning and trying to understand the Bible is what they strive to do.
Also, how can he say that Bible Studies are a way to be good "Christians" without letting the Bible get too close. How the heck is having a Bible study of way of not letting the Bible get too close? Sure, i know on a deeper level, it can make sense. But the Bible is "getting close" to you when you're studying it...it's not a hard thing to soak in. It's happening. Like what Wil and I talked about, you are hearing the words and they are getting through to you whether you mean for them to or not...okay, i'm done for now. i have to go to bed. maybe i'll expand later.
December 13, 2007 8:59 PM
Danae i see what you are saying and i also agree what some of what you said, does that work?
I know that the Bible is complex at certain points but for the general story and the instructions for what we are supposed to do it is easy to understand.
I know many people that claim to be christians but really aren't and really don't live it out. I also agree with what you said..."Disciples of Christ are aimed to live their lives for Christ, so questioning and trying to understand the Bible is what they strive to do." Once we understand the basics of the Bible that are simple to understand then we can go deeper and seek God more.
I think that it depends on the Bible study. Such as Bible studies that tell you want to think vs. the once that make you think and discover the Bible for yourself. The ones that make you think will help someone understand the Bible and the ones that tell you what to think will hold you back from the true understanding of the Bible.
I hope that makes sense and ask me questions if something i said is not clear. God bless you!
December 14, 2007 12:38 PM
Danae i see what you are saying and i also agree what some of what you said, does that work?
I know that the Bible is complex at certain points but for the general story and the instructions for what we are supposed to do it is easy to understand.
I know many people that claim to be christians but really aren't and really don't live it out. I also agree with what you said..."Disciples of Christ are aimed to live their lives for Christ, so questioning and trying to understand the Bible is what they strive to do." Once we understand the basics of the Bible that are simple to understand then we can go deeper and seek God more.
I think that it depends on the Bible study. Such as Bible studies that tell you want to think vs. the once that make you think and discover the Bible for yourself. The ones that make you think will help someone understand the Bible and the ones that tell you what to think will hold you back from the true understanding of the Bible.
I hope that makes sense and ask me questions if something i said is not clear. God bless you!
December 14, 2007 12:39 PM
Ok, my turn to chime in. First of all I think this is a great topic because it can be approached and explored from just about any direction. I think that both Danae and Lydia are correct in what they say, to an extent. I personally think the author was very vague in regards to this statement. First of all, I agree with Danae that the term "Christian" has become so generalized that it is hard to use the term without including a definition (I know this sounds ridiculous as the definition should be pretty self evident). As far as the bible being easy to understand, I really liked what Danae said. "[...]the most amazing, challenging, beautiful thing written. it has to be, it was inspired by God[...]." To an extent I completely agree. The ways of God will never be fully comprehended by man; however, God gave us the bible, so that we can begin to get a better idea of who he is. This being the case, would he really make it so complicated that in order to understand it you need a masters in theology? I don't think so. There are aspects of the bible that do need to be interpreted in order to be fully understood, but the part that's on the surface, the part that gives us basic instruction on how to live life seems to be fairly straight forward. I think the idea is that we begin to live our lives by the easy stuff, and as we do so God begins to reveal some of the not so easy stuff. Does this make sense?
So to sum it all up, I do agree with what Kierkegaard but only to an extent. I don't think it was fair for him to say that we are pretending though. I think that the problem is not so much a question of wanting to learn the bible, as it is a question of fighting our human nature. I think that we often times do understand what we read. The problem is that even though the answers seem so obvious, it is hard for us to grasp them because it is so completely contrary to what our human nature is telling us to do. Because of this we assume that the true answer must be buried somewhere in some other language and in order to understand it we have to go out and get a degree in theology. The funny thing is that most of the time we find out that our initial assumptions were correct.
December 17, 2007 6:33 PM
Hey. I really like the comments so far. Thanks, and let's keep it going.
I'm still going to hold on and not comment yet. But, I'll say this: it is always sketchy when a quote is dropped in out of nowhere. What might have made him say this? What was his world like when he wrote this?
I recommend googling his name. Find out a little about his life and see if that makes you read this quote differently.
Grace and Peace.
December 18, 2007 2:32 PM
I personally really like Kierkegaard, so I'm going to throw something onto the pile. Kierkegaard grew up in a small town where everyone seemed to be consistent churchgoers where the sun was always shining, the church bells were ringing, and things were "perfect". This obviously is never the case when it comes to the Christian walk. Going to church, and being a Christian is not a peachy and easy thing to do. However, the world that Kierkegaard grew up in, claimed that this is what it was meant to be, and that fire and brimstone preaching was the only way to accomplish it.
I think that what Kierkegaard is getting at when he says that Christians have become "Swindlers" is that some so called Christians, really do want to keep that sunny lifestyle where a speed bump would never cross their path. This is something that Kierkegaard realized, that to walk the Christian path, it will not be a smooth one the whole way through. For Kierkegaard was a Christian, and I think that he had a much deeper grasp on what it meant to be one. He wanted to find his own true innner being in God, and to do that, one must make mistakes, and figure out who they REALLY are. I think that he felt that these townspeople that he grew up with, didn't want to know their true innner beings, or the unique relationship that they could have with God, becuase they where scared to take a "leap of faith" as Kierkegaard would say. We as Christians must have such extreme faith in God, that we won't question how to "live in the real world." We have to trust that God will take care of us. I think that this is what Kierkegaard thought that the people of his time were scared of. He was someone who realized it, and it scared the townspeople. Nobody likes change, or any kind of new ideas, if it makes them uncomfortable, but what Kierkegaard is expressing is not comfort, it's truth.
December 18, 2007 11:22 PM
I read it both ways- as in the way Lyd and Danae read it. But i'm leaning more to the disagreement side.
I mean whoever said the Bible should be easy to understand?! It is so full of wisdom, stories, and history that its impossible for us just to understand every little thing. I think God meant it to be this way. I believe that the Bible is a tool to help us continually grow closer to God and learn new things about how to live our lives. It doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, or how many times you've read it. If you approach it with an open heart I believe that you can find something new and exciting in a passage or verse you've ready a million times.
I know that its scary to dig into it sometimes. For me personally, i think that this has to do with the idea that i might be shown something that would be convicting and i would have to change.. And sometimes our pride gets in the way of truely seeing what God has for us, just because we don't want to be wrong.
That's my two cents for now... :)
December 20, 2007 2:33 PM
Wow, I'm lovin this discussion! I have a question that I would love to hear all of your thoughts on. If the Bible is so complicated, how do we know when an interpretation becomes more our own will and less of Gods will? What do you think?
December 20, 2007 8:38 PM
In response to Ben's question...I think that it is very easy for us to interpret the Bible in the way WE want to and not the way that God wants us to. We all want things to go our own way, and we tend to not listen to what God is saying. I think that it all comes down to whether you're realizing if you are listening to God or listening to your wants. I think that it is about a state of awareness, and we must always be aware that God's is in control. I think that we also have to apply these interpretations to our daily lives and see that if it is working out the way that God has planned it to, that we will be able to realize it. It's about having faith and trusting in God, and not trusting in ourselves.
December 20, 2007 11:28 PM
This is also an important reason to work together and interpret the bible in community. We need other godly people around us with the right kind of heart and guts to call us when we're being selfish. Simply one of the many reasons that there is no such thing as a Lone Ranger Christian.
December 21, 2007 8:17 AM
how do i start a blog on the website?
January 21, 2008 9:28 PM
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