A Questionable Icon

Recently, the gun used by George Zimmerman when he murdered Trayvon Martin -- a crime for which he was acquitted -- was put up for auction.  According to Zimmerman, the gun is an
"historical icon."  The last time I heard about it, bids reached $65 million, with several days of bidding left.  What the final outcome was, I don't know.  I was so shocked and disgusted, I never followed up on learning what eventually happened.

For some reason, this brought to mind the time I interviewed with a congregation seeking a pastor.  It was more than twenty years ago by now.   The church was located near where I lived at the time, and I will admit from the outset my enthusiasm for the job was not at 100%.  But I applied, and they called me in to talk.

When I arrived and saw who was on the search committee, I braced myself for a question I knew was coming.  After a few minutes of the usual flirting, the woman with the loaded question unloaded:  "Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired inerrant Word of God?"

Interview over.

When I said, "No," I could see the color drain from behind the frozen smile on her face.  I went on to say that I thought people had to be careful in interpreting scripture, that differences in language, culture, worldview, and so forth were to be taken into account.  I suggested that the scriptures represented the witness of people of faith during the times in which they lived, and that the Bible evolved (how about that for a description of the Bible when arguing with a fundamentalist?) over centuries, gradually being pieced together as councils of religious authorities sorted through spiritual writings, including some, rejecting many, so on and so on, blah, blah, blah.

After a few more perfunctory questions and responses, the chair of the committee showed me around the facility.  At one point I asked him to let me know when the search committee decided anything pertaining to further discussion with me regarding the position.  I admit this was a tweak, since I already knew their decision was made, but I also said it because search committees, at least in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), are notorious for just casting aside rejected candidates without letting them know one way or the other where they stood in the process.

As expected, the letter I received from them relieved me of any further dialogic obligation.

Also as expected, that particular congregation went through a lot of dissension, conflict, and upheaval as the Bible Wars played out over the ensuing years.  It, like so many others, is a mere shell of what it once was in terms of membership, strength, and ministry, sitting there on a huge plot of land in the middle of the county seat.  It appears there will not be any Family Life Center or gymnasium or great cathedral or whatever the monumental visions and plans were at the time the property was purchased.  Just a lot of grass to mow  in the summer and a long driveway to plow in the winter.

So, what is the correlation between Zimmerman's iconic murder weapon and the church barely on life-support?

How about this -- when church people worship the Bible instead of seeking to discern its relevance for life in the world now, today, as we experience it, they -- we -- are going to miss out on the message of scripture with all of its truth, hope, and yes, guidance.

And this -- when people of faith miss out on the message of scripture as it relates to today's world and times, they -- we -- will have no relevant witness to offer to those around us.

And this -- when there is a lack of relevance in what the church proclaims and does (or, does NOT do, since it lacks a relevant witness), those on the outside will clearly see the self-centeredness, judgmental attitudes, exclusivity, intolerance, ignorance, and just plain FEAR that exist within so many church communities.

And this -- when the church fails, it is dismissed.

And this -- when the church, and consequently, the "faith" it proclaims are dismissed, the witness of scripture for the reconciliation of all of Creation within itself and with God goes unheard.

And this -- when the call to reconciliation is not heard, it is not embraced or suffered for or seen in all of its hopeful promise.

And this (I could go on much longer, but let's cut to the chase here) -- human division, animosity, injustice, greed, and violence will continue not only to occur, but also continue to be accepted as appropriate - and even necessary - for "survival," when all along a better path is revealed.

It is a path ignored, not believed, and even hidden by those who have it all at hand in the dusty book that is supposedly so important to them.