Something New?

Why are we as people always looking for something new? I know I like to try new things. I find it fun to try new restaurants, learn new ideas, check out new things, enjoy new adventures, and the list goes on and on. Many of us are never satisfied with what we have or who we are. We look toward the next trend of society imagining ways we can spice up our life. This attitude over a period of time can develop a mind-set of always looking forward to new ways of doing things, new ways to improve our lives, improve the way we think, and the way we act. This desire can drive many of us to pursue many different things in an attempt to satisfy the longing of our hearts for new and exciting ideas, adventures, and activities. But, should we apply this excitement for new ideas and new ways of thinking to our relationship with God? Well, I would suggest that we have to proceed with great caution when new ways to view or interpret Holy Scripture come our way. It is normal to be excited about new ways to think or do things, but in some instances, it can be very dangerous to practice such for our soul and relationship with God. When it comes to our relationship with God, this desire for new ways of thinking or joining the latest trend can cause confusion and chaos. We need to ask ourselves if it is wise to join the latest trends in our faith group (church) and seek out the new buzz words or latest societal craze. As we look at our culture today, we see many of our Christian denominations seeking after the latest trends and trying to integrate them into the understanding of the bible. For example, one such trend is looking at scripture through the "power continuum" framework and focusing on eisegesis to better understand our interpretation of scripture (making your own interpretation). I would suggest that the “power continuum” comes from ideas and concepts related to critical race theory. A quote from “The Heritage Foundation helps us bridge these ideas:

As its name should make abundantly clear, Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the child of

Critical Theory (CT), or, to be more precise, its grandchild. Critical Theory is the

immediate forebearer of Critical Legal Theory (CLT), and CLT begat CRT. As we discuss

in this Backgrounder, however, there are strong thematic components linking CT, CLT,

and CRT. Among these are:

· The Marxist analysis of society made up of categories of oppressors and

oppressed;

· An unhealthy dollop of Nietzschean relativism, which means that language does

not accord to an objective reality, but is the mere instrument of power dynamics;

· The idea that the oppressed impede revolution when they adhere to the cultural

beliefs of their oppressors—and must be put through re-education sessions;

· The concomitant need to dismantle all societal norms through relentless criticism;

and

· The replacement of all systems of power and even the descriptions of those

systems with a worldview that describes only oppressors and the oppressed.

Far from being merely esoteric academic exercises, these philosophies have real-

life consequences (The Heritage Foundation: https://www.heritage.org/civil-

rights/report/critical-race-theory-the-new-intolerance-and-its-grip-america).

Using “the power continuum and eisegesis” is a framework that views scripture through the lens of deciding who has power and who is powerless (you decide!). By using eisegesis, the individual interpreter can make their own interpretation of what the bible says (turning easily into heresy). In the end, I am not sure how this shiny new approach to bible interpretation helps us understand our risen Lord and our journey with God. Actually, in my opinion, it hinders our walk with God, confuses us, leads many into chaos, and takes us away from the truths of scripture.

2 Peter 2:1-3 states:

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."

Acts 20:28-31 states:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears."

Matthew 7:15-20 goes on to state:

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

When it comes to the gospel, we do not need anything new and shiny to help us better understand how to interpret the bible through our own emotions, lenses, or framework. Yes, Jesus gives us a wonderful mind to think and to ask questions, but we have to be extremely careful with new ways of looking at and interpreting scripture. What we need to remember is that we are very selfish and can be led astray easily by the simplest of things that appear interesting, but in the end, only lead us into error. I would suggest that looking at scripture through the lens of a “power continuum” and using this “power continuum” to eisegesis the scripture is very dangerous. We are not in need of any new way to look at or interpret scripture. What we need are brothers and sisters who are faithful to our Lord and Savior (and affirm the inerrancy of scripture). As Colossians suggests, we are to focus on things above like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love. Christ does not discuss the “power continuum.” He calls us to be Holy like God is Holy. Discussions about who is powerful and who is powerless generally leads to segregation, confusion, chaos, divisiveness, and all sorts of problems in the church (we have enough problems already). So, let’s not focus on fancy new ways to interpret scripture. We all have enough trouble trying to lead a holy and blameless life before our Lord and Creator and repenting of all our sins.