The Stupidity of Low Standards

Even though the first few paragraphs may imply that the question in James Tabor's recent post may have some merit it doesn't take much to figure out that it is utter nonsense bordering on idiocy. "How Christian Is the New Testament Book of Revelation?", is a question that to some degree destroys itself. Which religion draws any authority from the New Testament? That's right the answer is Christianity. If you applied Tabor's incredibly low standards consistently then the New Testament is itself not "Christian." There are no unique or original elements contained in what most consider the truly Christian half of the Bible.

So why ask the question? Most of the Gospels (the entire Bible, in fact) are loaded with all sorts of incoherent and even horrifying passages. Revelations is one of the most problematic books in the New Testament for far too many reasons to cover in a single post. The point is that many modern "scholars" and apologists are constantly trying to find ways around such problems. As far as I can tell this is the only real reason for Tabor's piece. Distancing your preferred Faith from unpleasant aspects in one section of scripture while preserving the rest is not a new tactic. Others have tried it and many more will try it. It is intellectually dishonest and ultimately a failure.

"May you live in interesting times."

"May you live in interesting times," is purported to be an ancient Chinese proverb/curse. It immediately popped into my head as I read, "But I haven’t given up on the Bible because I think that Christianity without the Bible is uninteresting. To put it in the positive, the Bible keeps Christianity interesting." Actually, the answer to Jones' Theoblogy post "Why I Haven’t Given Up on the Bible" I would put forward is more blunt. He doesn't give up on it because he can't. It is the same reason virtually all Christian sect/denominations are stuck with the Bible (or at least the New Testament) whether they like it or not. Jesus Christ, for whom the religion is named and supposedly founded, does not exist outside scripture. The Bible is also the source from which all Christianity draws it authority and justifies its doctrines.

Jones' conclusion seems to be more about glossing over the problems he notes about the Bible rather than any real thinking on the matter. It also demonstrates not only his own ignorance but that of many Christians.
"I’m not saying that you’re not a Christian if you’ve abandoned the Bible. Constitutive of Christianity is faith in Jesus, not commitment to the Bible — simply the early church confession, 'Jesus is Lord!' suffices for faith." Since the New testament is part of the Christian Bible and the Christ narratives are contained in the New Testament it is quite fair to say if you don't accept the Bible, to some degree, you are not in fact not a "Christian." It is, of course, possible to continue believing in many of the values and principles Christians automatically associate with Jesus Christ apart from the Religion. They were never uniquely or originally "Christian" to begin with so there really is no reason to attach them to a mythical figure or a "faith" of any type. No horror riddled baggage is required for a moral life.

I'm not sure if Mr. Jones has ever come across the proverb or not but I find it does fit his take on the Bible quite nicely. An ambiguous and easily misunderstood curse that can easily be spun to fit whatever your preferred interpretation might be. In other words, the essence of most scriptures.

Note: Theoblogy is one of the blogs listed on the Top 200 Church Blogs. I have commented on his posts previously.