1. Interpretation
One of the most important things we’ll do as believers is properly interpret the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 states we should be diligent to present ourselves as those who rightly divide the word of truth and are thus approved by God. If we do not, then we have cause to be ashamed and are logically speaking not approved by God, which may imply a questionable salvation status.
Across Hipsteranity (the perversion of the faith which contorts Christianity to affirm and validate whatever is trending in the culture), one of the most popular things to do is to claim we can’t know the truth. One of the most important skills you can learn is to identify the self-refuting statement. This one item will weed out of your life the nonsense which is crouching at your door asking to devour you.
The statement, “We can’t know the truth”, purports to be true. It also is stated as if it can, in fact, be known. This is a statement which violates its own premise. If the statement is in fact true, it MUST (by its own definition) be false. It’s a contradiction. These two ideas cannot co-exist in the same space and at the same time. Post-modernism holds that two contradictory statements can exist in the same space and at the same time, and making the mistake of believing this obvious error, is the height of enlightenment. They would argue that Christianity could believe “God does exist” and “God does not exist” as both being true and valid. This brain-dead gibberish is obviously too idiotic to take seriously. It’s primarily the domain of pseudo-intellectuals who are educated beyond their intelligence with too much time on their hands. This is the type of person who believes him/ herself to be wise but confirms he/ she is in fact a fool. Unfortunately, society has demanded we view them with the breathless exhilaration of a fangirl waiting to be asked to go “backstage” at a rock concert by her idol. Personally, I adhere to the, “suffer no fools” philosophy. Words can hardly express my vitriolic disdain for celebrity and those who suffer from “Main Character Syndrome”, regardless of the field they’re in. They make me laugh-it’s not a compliment. “Main Character Syndrome” is one in which the sufferer views him/ herself as the center of the universe and all others are their supporting cast, existing to help them live out their fantasy/ ideological fetish.
What’s the point of this rant? I’ve noticed those who say a proper way to view the Bible is oppressive are the same group who will pontificate on race and “social (in)-justice” and (insert MSNBC, CNN, DNC cultural talking point here) with something to the affect of “The Christian View of: (copy and paste viewpoint from MSNBC, CNN, DNC here)”. Or perhaps, “The Most Christiany Christians Respond to: (copy and paste article from MSNBC, CNN, DNC here)”. This set-up is making the claim that their view is the correct one and a rejection of this view is anti-christian/ anti-Christ. Which is good if you’re trying to justify purging your religious organization of conservative members to yourself.
So…how should we interpret the Bible?
Buckle up buttercup…let’s get into it.