In his book, Bible Study Methods, Rick Warren writes that a haphazard study of the Word of God is an insult to the sanctity of Scripture. It is a slap at the holiness of God, who gave us that Word (p. 17). In chapter 10 on the chapter analysis method he emphasizes the importance of:

• Observation: What does the text say?
• Interpretation: What does the text mean?
• Correlation: What do other passages say?
• Application: How does this text apply to me?

With regard to interpretation, he underscores that we should always start with “context”. He writes: “Always interpret a passage in light of the context (p. 193)” Unfortunately, sometimes Rick forgets to look at context. Ingrid pointed out an instance of that the other day in her post: Rick Warren Does It Again (no longer available on the new Slice). She points out that using Psalm 2:4 as evidence that God has a sense of humor is clearly an example of eisogesis and not exegesis.

I suspect God does have a sense of humor but that fact cannot be argued from Psalm 2:4 where God is laughing at those political leaders who arrogantly believe that they can encroach on the throne of God. This is not about “ha ha, isn’t that a funny joke” kind of laughing. This is about how ridiculous it is to think that God can be overthrown. To finish the verse: “The Lord holds them in derision.”

So it would seem that sometimes when all of us take on a pet theme, whatever it might be, we have a tendency to force Scripture to support the theme instead of what we should always do, making sure Scripture is driving the theme.

Ingrid has a tendency to make the same mistake when it comes to any hint of “contextualization” or cultural/moral relevance. Case in point is her disdain for Craig Gross of XXXChurch. In her rush to judgment recently in her post, Pornography in the Pews (no longer available on the new Slice), she writes: “I would say that based on Holy Scripture, you’re no Christian (my emphasis) if you have X-rated addictions. How can I say this? Let me tell you how.

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Ephesians 5:4-6

Ingrid would do well to correlate this passage in her John MacArthur study Bible with what MacArthur notes on John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin” according to MacArthur should be understood as the idea of “making sin a habitual practice”.

As a recovering alcoholic, clean and sober for 11 plus years, I have an x-rated addiction but I have been freed from that compulsion in accordance with 1 Cor. 6:11: “And such were some of you (a long list of x-rated addictions are mentioned in verses 9-10) but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”

Most Christians aren’t perfect, they’re just forgiven. And the process of sanctification is just that, a process. Ingrid seems to have forgotten Romans 7 and Paul’s very own struggle with the flesh when she says that it’s impossible to be a Christian and have an x-rated addiction.

The point is this: we all have pet peeves, pet themes, axes we want to grind, etc. As Christians in a society that is very familiar with spin, let’s all make sure that we are faithful to the context of Scripture, especially when we seek to reference that Holy Book as a guideline for how we should live our lives as salt and light in the community of mankind.

Why is it that some things outside of scripture are considered inherently evil? Rock music, playing cards, dancing? The common thought that some believers have is that at one time, these things were used for ill gotten sake, therefore they can not be redeemed. Rock music came from Pagan Africa, it is forever tainted, cards may have come from tarot cards or used for gambling, dancing leads to sex (or is it the other way around?). What about smoking? The verse I most often hear against that is “our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” However, in context, that was about prostitutes, not tobacco. And what about comic books?

There are several issues I have with school of thought which says “_____ is inherently evil”. Issue 1) This mindset seems to find something wrong with anything, especially if it hasn’t been done before. Issue 2) There is a fear of anything that might be enjoyable. Enjoyment, in this way of thinking, equals pleasing the flesh. Issue 3) Confusion about a style being sinful instead of an actual sinful behavior. Issue 4) Often, this is accompanied by a lack of education on a subject matter being criticized.

So what does this have to do with comics?

Manga Bible is a Japanese-style comic book of the New Testament printed in the UK. Siku, the artist, is quoted in an interview as saying “The Jesus character the book portrays is ‘not cuddly. I’ve deliberately made Jesus more imposing than anyone else throughout the story, and darker. He’s creepier.”

Some critics (who haven’t seen the book since it isn’t available in the U.S. yet. See my Issue 4), complained that Siku incorrectly depicted Christ. They are looking for reasons to hate him (see my Issue 1). Siku, who happens to be a Christian, responded to the criticisms of his work.

God is not cuddly, he is fearsome. He is one of absolute integrity and ‘happens’ to love us; this causes us not to understand that he is also ‘dangerous’.

I have presented Jesus as the God of Sinai. When he comes from the desert in blazing darkness he comes to bring judgment on Satan. They tremble! This is why I have Christ dark and ‘creepy’, because the world should tremble, for this is the ‘terrible’ (Hebrews 12:21) God and Satan knows his time is up.

However, I have not made this unbalanced. Christ is also gentle and kind and in fact beautiful too. The problem is that we have imposed our anglosised, androcentric and modernist preconceptions on God. I have challenged this, challenging the old guard while preaching to the lost. The lost will not understand why our work is being criticized. They’ll just be grateful that someone tried to communicate with them. I think they’ll sense our warmth towards them because our method is the ‘outstretched arm’, reaching out to them without thumping them on the head.

For those who support our work, our utmost thanks. For those who think we are in the grip of the enemy- someday, we’ll have common ground. To those who think Manga has satanic origins, may I remind you that Manga was response to the apocalyptic events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The creator of Manga sought a peaceful response that differed from Japan’s previous militaristic mindset. This does not sound demonic to me.

Love and respect to ya’ll.
Siku- Author of The Manga Bible

I love the gracious way he closes his statement. We do have common ground. I think many will be surprised when, in heaven, we are standing next to the Sikus, the Rob Bells, and the Ingrid Schlueters. What heavenly good does it do to tell everyone that a comic book depicting Jesus is wrong? They haven’t even seen it yet.

What’s the difference between themed worship done the way you like it and using the specific gifts God has given you to create worship that is different from what other people create with the gifts God has given them?

I’m really asking, because, other than having a whole bunch of different types of worship in one location, I’m not sure what the difference is between the two.

From yesterday’s news, here’s a perfect example of what happens when we make our enemies out of flesh and blood.

MANILA, Philippines — Five members of a Protestant church in Taguig City, including its pastor, were stabbed by a 27-year-old man, who found the sermon last Sunday objectionable, according to the police.

The victims were rushed to the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Pasay City and were in stable condition, though three remained under observation as of yesterday.

Still confined are Susie de Asis, 30, and Emelita Dominguez, 47, both vendors, and Jonathan Marquez, 23, a church worker. The other two, Pastor Armando de Vera, 49, and Rosalinda Decena, 55, also a vendor, have already checked out of the hospital.

The suspect, Jerry Relacion, a jobless man, was arrested but not before taking a beating from the mob that chased him after the attack, the police said.

The incident occurred on Sunday noon as members of Jesus King of Glory Christian Church at Purok 4, Bagong Tanyag in Taguig City were talking after the worship service, investigators said.

Chief Insp. Celso Rodriguez, head of the criminal and investigation division, said Relacion, wielding an ice pick, suddenly began running after De Vera and the people around him.

He stabbed the five in various parts of the body before trying to flee. But the people who saw what happened blocked his path and repeatedly punched and kicked him, Rodriguez said.

In the official report, the Taguig police listed the motive behind the stabbing as “differences in religious belief/faith.”

Case investigator PO1 Melvin Garcia said the suspect listened to the sermon and was angered after hearing the pastor’s words.

“He kept saying that the pastor was wrong,” he told the Inquirer.

Here’s a link to the article.

Have you ever thought that we’ve got that whole idols problem licked? I mean, there’s no golden calves around to bow down to, or kings making giant statues that everyone has to worship when the band starts playing. But consider for a moment that an idol isn’t strictly a formed image, but anything we place above God. In that way every sin falls in some way into that first commandment. Martin Luther in “Treatise Concerning Good Works” wrote:

All those who do not at all times trust God and do not in all their works or sufferings, life and death, trust in His favor, grace and good-will, but seek His favor in other things or in themselves, do not keep this [First] Commandment, and practice real idolatry, even if they were to do the works of all the other Commandments

In other words, idolatry is a sneaky, sneaky thing because God has given us many good and excellent gifts which can be used as idols. One of those good and excellent gifts is the scriptures themselves. There’s a thin line we walk with the scriptures between respect and idolatry. Without respect for the scriptures we miss the whole point of why God blessed us with them (primarily, though not exclusively, to communicate the gospel with the world) and strip the scriptures of their authority and truth. However, if we go so far as to make the scriptures an idol we miss the gospel completely. We don’t enter the kingdom of God by what we believe about the Bible, we enter the kingdom of God by the work of Christ which is communicated by the Bible. I believe that once we reach the point where the Bible can’t be used as an inspiration for art we’ve reached the point where the Bible has become our golden calf.

As many of you have already suspected I am a huge nerd, and I like nerdy things. Things like comic books. Recently there was published a comic called “Testament“, that was based on the stories of the Torah. The basic concept was to use the Biblical stories as a framework, but to set them in the future. The writer, from what I could tell from an interview he gave to the Fanboy Radio Podcast (yes I am that nerdy) is Jewish, and I believe is only Jewish by genetics, as he seemed to have a secular worldview, even going so far as to say something along the lines of “it doesn’t matter that these stories didn’t actually happen”. So, needless to say this was not a work of worship to the living God, nor was it meant to evangelize, or do anything other than to create a compelling work of art. And that doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I praise God that its happening.

When it comes to the scriptures, and how they’re viewed by the critical mass of the unchurched there’s only three options:

When works of art like Testament are drawn from the scriptures, even in the cases where its art for the sake of art and there is nothing evangelical, or worshipful about it the appreciators of that art are naturally moved from aversion or apathy towards the Bible to respectful appreciation, and so I praise God when secular artists draw their inspiration from the scriptures. And I especially praise God now because it has been quite some time since the scriptures were viewed this way by non-Christian artists.

But I would take even take it a step further. I would say that if you believe that when a non-Christian uses the Bible to produce art that it is somehow an affront to the scripture themselves you are dangerously close to turning the Bible into an idol. If you believe that non-Christians taint the scriptures just by the act of picturing Biblical events, or singing scriptures then it may be time to take a step back and put Christ back at the center of your faith instead of the scriptures.