The sermon at St. Mark's today was about the ten commandments - "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's porsche" (the Jersey version). So that got me thinking? Is there ever a good time to covert something? I covet the certainty that both my christian friends (who have surrendered their lives to Jesus) and my atheist friends have - as opposed to this limbo land I find myself in.
I have atheist friends who judge me intellectually lacking for even considering believing. When I am with them I feel I am not an atheist. I end up arguing the historical accuracy of parts of the bible and explaining "It's not just a story". Then when I am with my christian friends I realise to be authentic I have to admit to not being one of them. I look at some of the great christians and feel intellectually weak for just not "getting it". My friend Jane today gently challenged me. I explained that there were certain key things I could not get my head around. "Like what?" she enquired. I knew at this point that I would have to tell the truth and as I squirmed in my seat I said "The, errrr, bodily resurrection". To which she replied "Well Luke saw him eat and he was a Doctor".
I figure all I can do - if I have a desire for answers one way or the other - is keep going to church and keep listening and learning.
I think that if one tries to take the Bible as completely inerrant then one runs into all kinds of problems.
ReplyDeleteNotable New Testament examples:
There are two different order of the "temptations of Jesus" (Matthew/Luke), but they didn't happen twice. One has to say that despite the manner in which they are presented (as chronological in both places), for at least one of the writers, the ordering of events was not important. (Of course if the stories began as oral tales, the order may not have been important in the telling).
The cleansing of the Temple. John puts it at the start of Jesus ministry; the synoptics at its end.
Jairus daughter - when Jairus spoke, had she just died, as Matthew, or at the point of death, as Luke and Mark:
While he was thus speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."(Matt)
Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, and besought him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live. (Mark)
And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus' feet he besought him to come to his house, 8.42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. (Luke)