Yesterday I wrote about the woman from my old church who wanted to know the political leanings of my professor, namely was he a liberal. Today I'd like to go deeper into where this mindset is coming from and why.
Although I now belong to the Unitarian church, I still meet with my friends from the old church on Sunday nights for Bible study. These people have been kind to me and I don't see any real reason to cut them off entirely. It would cause pain for no good reason. I also feel that perhaps I can help build bridges between their world and the rest of the world, although I am beginning to think that I am probably wasting my time.
Anyway, we have been watching a series of James Dobson videos on the archaeology of Biblical Israel around the time of Jesus. Dr. Dobson, for those who aren't familiar with him, is one of the founders of Focus on the Family. I have mixed feelings about this group. My biggest issue is that they are very wishy-washy on the subject of bullying. They SAY they are against bullying but when it comes to passing anti-bullying initiatives, they reveal their true colors. They are so afraid that these initiatives might be used to prohibit "Christian" students from speaking out against homosexuality--God forbid that a LBGT student be treated decently!--that they undercut all attempts to establish antibullying initiatives. I'm sure that the rest of us will understand when we are being teased in the hallways and on the buses. It's just one of the sacrifices we have to make.
The videos themselves aren't too bad except that I wish they were narrated by a professional archaeologist instead of one of Dr. Dobson's staff members. No, it is the propaganda that accompanies them that disturbs me. This is taken from the video on the Essenes, a monastic group that lived at Qumran and are best known for the Dead Sea Scrolls. After describing how Alexander the Great's armies invaded Israel and brought Greek culture to that land, it goes on to say, "The Hellenistic (Greek) culture deeply offended the Jews, but soon many of the Jewish people were seduced and eventually conformed to this secular worldview that glorified the human being through philosophy, athletics, religion and the arts." (Emphasis added.)
Do you see where this is going? It would not be so bad if this was being discussed in a historical context, but it soon becomes clear from the rest of the discussion guide that the Essenes are being held up as an example and a model for us, although the video makes it quite clear that running out to the desert and starting our own community isn't exactly the way to go. On the contrary, "rather than abandoning secular culture, God calls his people to bring the lives of truth to those living in darkness. We are called to live holy, but not isolated, lives . . . we must bring truth to every part of our culture, even those areas that seem most hopeless and dim." It concludes by asking "Will you obey and honor God while living among people who want little to do with Him?"
to be continued . . .
Although I now belong to the Unitarian church, I still meet with my friends from the old church on Sunday nights for Bible study. These people have been kind to me and I don't see any real reason to cut them off entirely. It would cause pain for no good reason. I also feel that perhaps I can help build bridges between their world and the rest of the world, although I am beginning to think that I am probably wasting my time.
Anyway, we have been watching a series of James Dobson videos on the archaeology of Biblical Israel around the time of Jesus. Dr. Dobson, for those who aren't familiar with him, is one of the founders of Focus on the Family. I have mixed feelings about this group. My biggest issue is that they are very wishy-washy on the subject of bullying. They SAY they are against bullying but when it comes to passing anti-bullying initiatives, they reveal their true colors. They are so afraid that these initiatives might be used to prohibit "Christian" students from speaking out against homosexuality--God forbid that a LBGT student be treated decently!--that they undercut all attempts to establish antibullying initiatives. I'm sure that the rest of us will understand when we are being teased in the hallways and on the buses. It's just one of the sacrifices we have to make.
The videos themselves aren't too bad except that I wish they were narrated by a professional archaeologist instead of one of Dr. Dobson's staff members. No, it is the propaganda that accompanies them that disturbs me. This is taken from the video on the Essenes, a monastic group that lived at Qumran and are best known for the Dead Sea Scrolls. After describing how Alexander the Great's armies invaded Israel and brought Greek culture to that land, it goes on to say, "The Hellenistic (Greek) culture deeply offended the Jews, but soon many of the Jewish people were seduced and eventually conformed to this secular worldview that glorified the human being through philosophy, athletics, religion and the arts." (Emphasis added.)
Do you see where this is going? It would not be so bad if this was being discussed in a historical context, but it soon becomes clear from the rest of the discussion guide that the Essenes are being held up as an example and a model for us, although the video makes it quite clear that running out to the desert and starting our own community isn't exactly the way to go. On the contrary, "rather than abandoning secular culture, God calls his people to bring the lives of truth to those living in darkness. We are called to live holy, but not isolated, lives . . . we must bring truth to every part of our culture, even those areas that seem most hopeless and dim." It concludes by asking "Will you obey and honor God while living among people who want little to do with Him?"
to be continued . . .
