- Without Scripture, we can easily give in to sloganeering and sentimentality and even false gospels.
William Tyndale was a man of vision. He was put to death for translating Scripture into English, to the chagrin of those enamored of the Latin Vulgate, because he wanted to offer the Bible to the common people so they could read the Holy Text for themselves. He knew this could change the cultural tenor of his times. His dream was that “a boy that driveth the plow” might know more about the Old and New Testaments than an ignorant pastor.
Today, of course, most of the boys and girls of the Western World (and beyond) have devices that could easily lead them to not only the Word itself but explanations and exegesis that would stun history’s biblical scholars. And yet we are largely like the ignorant clerics of Tyndale’s day, with access to the riches of God’s Word but no real desire to take advantage of the privilege.
The Reformation sought to put the Bible in the hands of the people, but one wonders if they could imagine a day when it is in the hands of virtually everyone but no where close to our hearts, our heads, or our habits.
In Neil Postman’s masterpiece Amusing Ourselves to Death, he juxtaposes George Orwell’s line of thinking with that of Aldous Huxley. According to Postman, Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared that those who would give us so much information that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared that the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance.
Postman was convinced that Huxley had a keener sense of the times than did Orwell and, well, Postman was right.
In the Deep South, it could be argued that we have a terrific fear of the Lord and His Word. And honestly, I love the South for this very reason. There is a respect here for God and His Church and His honor like few other places on the map. But we might actually be more His fans than His followers, admiring the Bible more than we expose ourselves to it or really know it. According to a Pew report, only 56% are aware that Jesus lived in Nazareth during his youth and roughly half remember that He preached the Sermon on the Mount. Lifeway Research has found that only 31% of Protestants have a daily habit of reading the Bible.
Without Scripture, we can easily give in to sloganeering and sentimentality and even false gospels. Yes, God is love – but He is also truth. It surprises some to learn that kindness is indeed a Christian virtue and a fruit of the Spirit, but that Jesus and Paul (and likely many others in the New Testament era) could get angry, sharply reprove, and pronounce harsh judgment.
The Bible must be read and memorized and experienced and encountered. Not just to win trivia night at church, but so that we might be formed by God and His Word. It is not an optional extra or a negotiable item on the disciple’s wish list; it is imperative for all who claim the name of Jesus and want to honor Him.
Back to Huxley. He was curious that the civil libertarians and rationalists were up in arms about the tyranny that breathes down the neck of humankind but had “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distraction.” What a remarkable description of our culture – more access to the Bible and doctrine than ever but almost completely…distracted.
Read your Bible. Pray over it. It is necessary for you, your family, your culture.
Matt Friedeman
