It’s so funny to think of, yet it points to an unfunny reality: the lenses and biases we view Scripture through. It reminds me that we cannot “lean on (our) own understanding” (see Proverbs 3:5-6), but need to lean on the wisdom of God in order to rightly handle the Word of God. Great reminder.
Being from a conservative southern U.S. state, I can remember my shock upon learning that the servant of Abraham gave Rebecca a nose ring as a present from Isaac – not just an “earring” like the KJV reads.
Although I’m sure that a few will just be offended at the humor being poked at the common bumper sticker, I hope that it at least gets a few of them to actually think about the assumptions they’ve been making (probably without even realizing it).
Mark,
Amen! And welcome to my blog!!
Mark, thanks for your work on the modern language copy of Margaret Fell’s 1666 book. I am sure that there will others who will also feel that this was a worthwhile venture. Thanks!
Mark, I am looking forward to reading your modernized version of Fell’s book. My heritage is Quaker going back a number of centuries, and I have a number of very old classic Quaker books, but I don’t have hers. Interestingly, in Barclay’s Apology (the classic Quaker apologetics), he only devotes a large paragraph to the topic of women preaching, etc., in which he summarily dismisses any bias against them as being due to a misunderstanding, basically, of the situation to which Paul was speaking. In other words, Paul was addressing a particular circumstance and not making a broad statement about restricting all women for all time. How did Barclay and Fell ‘get it’ without all the vast study aids, arcaeological findings, etc., that have followed since? Quakers strongly believed that the Holy Spirit could indeed teach His own via the bible and His Spirit. (FWIW) That is NOT to say I believe there is no value in all the supporting texts and findings we have today. Quite the opposite.
7 thoughts on “God said it?”
Cheryl,
Love that!
It’s so funny to think of, yet it points to an unfunny reality: the lenses and biases we view Scripture through. It reminds me that we cannot “lean on (our) own understanding” (see Proverbs 3:5-6), but need to lean on the wisdom of God in order to rightly handle the Word of God. Great reminder.
Being from a conservative southern U.S. state, I can remember my shock upon learning that the servant of Abraham gave Rebecca a nose ring as a present from Isaac – not just an “earring” like the KJV reads.
Although I’m sure that a few will just be offended at the humor being poked at the common bumper sticker, I hope that it at least gets a few of them to actually think about the assumptions they’ve been making (probably without even realizing it).
Mark,
Amen! And welcome to my blog!!
Mark, thanks for your work on the modern language copy of Margaret Fell’s 1666 book. I am sure that there will others who will also feel that this was a worthwhile venture. Thanks!
Mark, I am looking forward to reading your modernized version of Fell’s book. My heritage is Quaker going back a number of centuries, and I have a number of very old classic Quaker books, but I don’t have hers. Interestingly, in Barclay’s Apology (the classic Quaker apologetics), he only devotes a large paragraph to the topic of women preaching, etc., in which he summarily dismisses any bias against them as being due to a misunderstanding, basically, of the situation to which Paul was speaking. In other words, Paul was addressing a particular circumstance and not making a broad statement about restricting all women for all time. How did Barclay and Fell ‘get it’ without all the vast study aids, arcaeological findings, etc., that have followed since? Quakers strongly believed that the Holy Spirit could indeed teach His own via the bible and His Spirit. (FWIW) That is NOT to say I believe there is no value in all the supporting texts and findings we have today. Quite the opposite.
Cheryl, that is great!!!