It Was Always Mine

Lately I find myself wandering off in thought. What I think about is about as diverse as naturally occurring colors in the universe. I started reading Rob Bell's Love Wins. This book created so much "controversy" that Rob Bell was trending on twitter and even was interviewed on Good Morning America. I don't really see the controversy. I tend to agree with his view so far. The thing is though when people publish books that I don't believe in. I don't get all crazy and blog about it. I don't call the author names. I don't set the blog-o-sphere, twitter, facebook and the internet in general afire with slander and hate. I generally ignore it or if it catches my attention I read it. You never know what you might learn.

The thing that really catches me though is that people are so sure that Rob Bell is wrong and they are right! This is so incomprehensible for me. I think at least once a day I doubt something I believe. I think about sometimes, what if I am wrong, what if I missed the message? I think this is pretty normal and healthy. It kind of keeps my ego in check. It keeps me focused on the things that matter, like faith and not on individual beliefs.

I have for awhile now too been wondering why it was that I understood the emerging church movement but never really jumped in and joined the conversation. I used to think it was because I was insecure and was afraid to raise my voice. The truth is though, that I don't have anything to add. Not only that I would say 95% of the new thinking that is happening was already happening in my head before it became a movement. Not that I have any answers or that I have thought much about every single topic. Somethings are not of significance for me.

Then it hit me over the weekend why my journey has been so different and not disrupted by the shift in thinking: the bible has always been my own. I have always had my own interpretation of the bible as I read it. I wasn't taught the bible or Christian ideas and ideals. I just had a bible and I read it and as I got older I guessed at what it meant. Don't get me wrong it doesn't mean I just go around with my own interpretation. I have had many teachers along the way. I have read books that have helped to shape my opinions. I have had a few mentors. I have even had some folks in my life who tried to get me to believe the only truth which was believing in the bible the way they did. That was when my questions about Jesus and the bible started in the first place. I had been here reading these things on my own and all I could think was, really I didn't get that at all.

So I think my lack of Christian Education as a child has actually helped me! I learned early on to interpret what I read. It wasn't spoon fed to me. No one told me what I had to believe about it. S

While I fully support this movement in thinking and the continued movement in thinking. I think this is why I have always felt a little out of sync with it.

Now the question that remains is how and what do I teach my daughter? Is it possible to teach her about the bible and to still empower her to make it her own? To ask questions and reject the pat answers?

I sure hope so!

Today I am grateful that I wasn't taught anything about the bible until I went searching.
May you be blessed with some small gratitude of your own!