The high
I cannot think that anyone can learn biblical truths from attending a Fundamentalist church. Let me give a simple example: In the Prophets and Psalms, “the wicked” are “the high and lifted up”. In a Fundamentalist sermon, the wicked are the uppity.
Exoristos
Porter Doran
Iannes
Epiktetos
Anonymous
This train of thought began when a young Fundamentalist friend of mine pronounced, “Jesus hung out with the wicked,” I responded, “Not with the wicked! with sinners and outcasts” — to which she:
“What’s the difference?”
What’s the difference, indeed! Sinners and outcasts are who were forgiven and healed by Jesus; the wicked are who slew Him.
Sinners and outcasts are whom the prophets pled God and king for; the wicked are whom they luridly cursed. Sinners and outcasts are those odious who surround me in low-rent housing and on the streets; the wicked are those aglitter who invite me for golf and beers after work: full of craving, and of gleeful hatred of their wives and of the poor.
Young Fundamentalist friend (I shall say when I have mustered the courage), you have two assignments: First, to read Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Second, to stop attending church!
:third attempt at posting this… kept losing or misclicking:
“The world is turned off by Christians, and this is because, even though they got it almost right, they still have one problem. They kill each other over their differences rather than arguing over them.”
essence of one of jack’s ramblings during western civ discussion yesterday. somehow it seemed related to this.
“The world” *is* Christians. Christianity is the largest religion in the world by far, according to the last censuses taken a few years ago, and almost every American is Christian, according to polls taken just last week. I think by “the world” he may mean “some other professors” — or perhaps he is using the term as Fundamentalist preachers use it — as a straw man to argue at or as a bogey-man with which to scare an audience.
But that was a tangent to your comment — does not address it at all. Thank you for commenting, Mary. :)