The Slippery Slope

I just finished the second of two books by the same title: The Politics of Jesus. One by Obery Hendricks and the other by John Howard Yoder.

I keep a running Want To Read list, and it's not unusual for me to forget who recommended, when, or why I added it, etc. As I was searching for a new book a few weeks ago, I picked this one and pulled up both authors. Since I could not remember the recommendation, I decided it might be interesting to read both. I was not wrong. They took decidedly different approaches. In some instances, they came to remarkably different conclusions. They used different scripture references to bring their points. They pulled from different historians, scholars and theologians. They came from different perspectives, circumstances and backgrounds. 

What did they have in common? They are faithful followers of Jesus. They are learned scholars. They hold scripture to have wisdom useful for us today. They value the life, work and teachings of Jesus. They both believe He spoke openly and courageously into the politics of His day in ways that ultimately led to His crucifixion. And that what we learn from that can, and should, effect the way we live today.

I did not immediately accept or agree with every conclusion they drew, but I learned a lot - much that will keep me thinking, meditating on and finding ways to incorporate change into my daily life.

What am I learning? That it is not a dangerous thing to read a wide variety of teachers, scholars, theologians and teachers and authors (both fiction and nonfiction) as I grow in my faith. God speaks to ALL of us through our life and circumstances. We ALL interpret scripture through the lens of the life, culture and generations, victories and traumas we've come up in. Through the magic (and sometimes curse) of social media, I follow and am friends with people from almost every conceivable background - many of them Christ followers. I am amazed at the number of Bible verses shared by folks from completely different perspectives, using the same exact verses to reinforce completely opposite beliefs. Both believing it proves their point irrefutably. It's sometimes just downright amusing. Sometimes sad. We can't see what we can't see. I hear folks say that, "All we need is scripture," but this simply is impossible. Scripture MUST be interpreted. And we all interpret it through our personal lenses, most handed down to us from someone else's lens (but usually one very similar to our own, because we want to feel safe). Again, it is impossible. But on the bright side, I don't think God ever intended it should be this way.

"No man is an island," or so they say. Or even better, scripture tells us, "We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other," (Romans 12:5). When we pick and choose to learn only from those like us, we are harming, not just ourselves, but others that are part of that larger community. Learning from those different from us expands our ability to see a greater depth in Jesus and our scriptures, to understand communities and the world we live in better. To understand clearly that God, AND the community of His people are much bigger than we believe. Reading books from those outside the Christian faith has helped me grow in compassion and empathy. It has shown me that all Truth is God's truth and I do not need to fear learning from others. 

I am often frustrated that I grew up fearful to explore those whose Christian faith looked different from mine. And DEFINITELY not anyone outside of the Christian tradition. Slippery slopes were literally everywhere. 

I'm learning to enjoy letting my world be bigger, wider, deeper. I'm learning to be comfortable (or at least less uncomfortable) with not having firm answers, with more gray and less black and white, with embracing mystery. With reading, following and learning from folks that challenge me, that make me say, "WHAT?!" and then walk me through it. Not that we'll always agree, but so we will always learn, grow and listen, growing closer together, even amidst differences.

Perhaps one of the joys I've found is that at the bottom of that slippery slope? God is very much there. I've found deep, enriching friendships outside of my previously very safe orbit. I've found friends that love and follow Jesus. We are literally everywhere. Don't be afraid to look around.