The Bible And Church Potlucks
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it is a beautiful day for a church potluck. I see Mrs. Smith has brought her world-famous, make Colonel Sanders weep, fried chicken.
Somebody else has brought peach cobbler. Oh, I will definitely have some of that after the chicken. On second thought, I might as well eat dessert first, you never know, a meteor could fall and wipe out civilization before I get to it. I don’t want to be stuck scanning the sky for falling space rocks while I eat my fried chicken. Yep, peach cobbler is definitely first.
As I walk down the table full of bountiful delights, a couple of things stick out. Some do-gooder brought a kale salad. Who brings kale salad to a church potluck? I guarantee you that they are going home with almost the same amount of kale salad as they came with. Broccoli! Not broccoli casserole with cheese and ham, not even broccoli in cheese sauce. It’s not even the raw broccoli that you can dip in ranch dressing to give it taste. It’s just, broccoli, steamed and green and lifeless there in a bowl. Blecch.
That’s the great thing about potlucks, you don’t have to eat everything. If you don’t like fried chicken, there is plenty of kale salad and broccoli. If you think kale salad is of the devil, there is fried chicken. You get to pick and choose what you want to eat.
I have been approached by a couple of people who are upset with pastors misrepresenting things in the Bible. First of all, I tell them, just don’t go to his church. If his preaching doesn’t line up with God’s Word, don’t go back. It really is that simple. There are people out there who like to look at the Bible like a church potluck. They want to pick and choose what they will eat from it, and ignore or vilify the rest. I have seen the Bible used to justify everything from illegal immigration to gay marriage.
I have heard people use Jesus’ love as a reason to be tolerant of the sins of others. The people who say that are kind of right. When they brought the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, he got rid of her attackers. He then told her, "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:11 He loved and accepted her, not her sin.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to us that this is going on. There have always been people who use a black magic marker as a highlighter in their Bible. And it is going to get worse, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2 Timothy 4:3
So how do we combat the nonsense? We live God’s Word authentically and with truth. Secret Service agents are taught to recognize fake money by looking at real money. When you see enough real, the fakes stand out like beacon in a dark room. Let’s start preemptively showing real love and compassion to others, especially people we don’t agree with. Our authenticity will beat fakery every time.
As for the pastors who think the Bible is full of suggestions, not commands: Maybe you would be better off as a plumber or something else. Mark 9:42 gives a pretty stern warning, “"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” If you disagree with the Bible, just don’t preach it. Please, for your sake and the sake of others, don’t preach it incorrectly. There are lives hanging in the balance.
With love… Jerry