I read this quote online yesterday. I don't know who said it originally, but it certainly bears repeating:
"To most Christians, the Bible is like a software license. Nobody actually reads it. They just scroll down to the end and click 'I agree.'"I saw a tv show that satarized our tendency to "scroll to the bottom" of software licenses without reading. Those that signed without knowing what they were agreeing to were taken away by the software company to be part of some pretty gross human experimentation!
So do you know what you have clicked "I agree" to when it comes to the Bible? Many Christians read a lot FROM the Bible, but they still have no clue what God's story is. They don't know about the tribes of Israel. They don't know why many of the laws from Leviticus were so important then but have no bearing on us today. They don't know about the times God's people were conquored and exiled or why and by whom. They don't know the significance of Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. They don't know about the politics behind Jesus' crucifixion. They don't know what the first Christian groups were like and the struggles "The Way" had to overcome. They don't really know the Story. And yet they still click agree... I guess because everyone else does.
If more of us would actually read the "license" and understand what we are saying "I agree" to, I don't think there would be as much hate spewed in the name of Christianity. I don't think there would be as much misunderstanding over what was meant for "then" and what still applies "now." I think there would be a whole lot more love coming from those who worship the God who IS Love. And I think Christianity would attract a lot more people then it currently repels.
It has gotten to the point where more and more people are trying to back up their beliefs by simply parroting what they have heard from other "Christians" who have also simply scrolled down and clicked. The real message of love and God's passion for his children has gotten lost simply because it is ignored. We are so blessed and privileged to have His message right in front of us any time we want it. But the best most of us will do is read what amounts to edited Cliff Notes... edited in order to promote the agenda of the group selling it.
Read and study the whole license and see that it is more than a license to be Christian with all the expected do's and don't's. It is God's love letter to us. It is his Plan with a capital P. It is the sweep of the Story... not just a freeze frame of a few moments in history that MUST apply for all time.
If you have already checked the "I agree" box, don't you think it's about time you found out what it is you agreed to?
Father,
Your story is more amazing than most others will tell us. Help us to read and learn and understand for ourselves. Amen.
Joys: The funny things Cecelia says; time with family; the privilege of praying for a church prayer list that is unusually long this week.
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