Revisitng Pat Robertson

Some of you may have heard Pat Robertson's commentary on what happened in Haiti. I wrote about this a few days ago, wondering if the message of a vengeful God was actually correct, if abhorrent. I found something really interesting today though...

There are several really cool benefits to reading the Bible online:

1) You can switch between versions on the fly
2) You can copy and paste text very easily
3) Each reading has a link to view an associated commentary on the given section of text.

#3 is where I have found a lot of benefit lately. Here is an interpretation of Jesus' many recent conversations with the Pharisees - the religious conservatives of the day.

Some culturally conservative churches today interpret the Bible the way the Pharisees in this passage do, building an ever tighter fence around the strictest interpretation of the law to keep from breaking it. Thus, for example, I have known firsthand of some that misconstrue Scripture to condemn all divorced people, women's wearing slacks to church, music relevant to youth, and anything else that violates their tradition.

Another thing that I have noticed is a strong resistance to the Gay community. Check out the compelling documentary "Fall From Grace" to see a church who's entire message is focused on hating gays and America.

Conservatives can dishonor God's Word through abuse and neglect just as liberals can dishonor it through neglect and rejection. Jesus instead pursued the point of biblical texts in the situation in which they were written (19:8). The principles of God's Word actually demand far more from us than extrapolated rules: they demand the absolute integrity of our hearts before God, summoning us to devote all our actions and thoughts to his glory (5:17-48). Perhaps some Christians take refuge primarily in legal debates because we lack the courage to pursue a genuine relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus Christ. This narrative illustrates various points about biblical interpretation.

This interpretation (and I realize this is only one interpretation) confirms the way I have been living out my Christianity. Not focusing on rules, but on people. Although, I feel like the only other type of interpretation would be the exact opposite.