A Trustworthy Christmas: Behind the Post
I often find myself stuck between two extremes in our religious culture. Either 1) take the Bible literally and thereby ignore much of what modern disciples – whether science or history or others – have taught us about the way the world works. Or 2) dismiss the Bible entirely because it doesn’t always conform to what we’ve learned about the world and thereby ignore the wisdom of our faith.
I don’t think I’m alone feeling this bind. I think, in fact, that lots of faithful Christians want an alternative to the false dichotomy of faith or reason, head or heart, fundamentalist Christianity or outright atheism.
Much of our dilemma stems from a rather shallow understanding of truth. If truth can only be understood as factual accuracy, then when it comes to the Bible you’ve pretty much got only two choices. 1) Assume that because the Bible is at points not factually accurate that it must not be true (the path taken by most atheists). Or 2) assume that because you know the Bible is true it must be factually accurate (the road traveled by fundamentalists who therefore come up with all kinds of ingenious, if a little crazy, means by which to reconcile the various differences and discrepancies of Scripture).
But I think there is an alternative to these choices, one that moves beyond such a narrow understanding of truth to imagine that truth, ultimately, is bigger than facts. Don’t get me wrong — it’s not that I think facts are bad. When I take my car to be repaired, I want the mechanic to have a firm grasp of automotive facts. But some parts of life – the value of freedom, the importance of love, the meaning of life – are just too big to reduce to facts that can be proved or disproved in a laboratory.
These kinds of things – and I’d confess I think these are the really important things in life – call not just for rational assent but belief, faith, and commitment. And I think that’s what the Bible, finally, is about – not mere religious facts but rather huge truths about God, the world, and our life with each other.
So in recent years more and more of my writing has been given over to working out this alternative view of the Bible and our life of faith. Making Sense of Scripture
It’s a fairly short piece, and if you have the time, I’d invite you to read it at the Huffington Post. I’ll put the first few paragraphs below and a link to the article. Blessed Christmas.
Is The Christmas Story Trustworthy?
They’re almost becoming a Christmas tradition. The billboards erected by atheists challenging the Christmas story and Christian faith, I mean. The one in Times Square this year reads, “Keep the Merry” underneath a picture of Santa Claus, and “Dump the Myth” below a statue of a crucified Jesus. Last year it was four pictures – Jesus, Santa, Poseidon, and the devil – with the caption “37 Million Americans know MYTHS when they see them. What myths do you see?” And in 2010, when this particular “tradition” seems to have first gained steam, it was a picture of the nativity with the banner spread below that read, “You know it’s a MYTH. This season, celebrate reason.”
I was reminded of that billboard when I heard about the live nativity held this past Saturday at St. Rose of Lima Parish, a Roman Catholic Church in Newtown, Connecticut. St. Rose was open the night before, the evening of the school killings, for a prayer vigil, and while they undoubtedly debated whether to go forward with their plans, they apparently decided that this story should be told in the hope that its telling might bring a measure of comfort and hope to those who most needed it. And so this past Saturday evening, parishioners gathered around a make shift stable, surrounded by various farm animals, to portray the characters of the Christmas story that culminates in the birth of Jesus in a manager with visits from shepherds, wise men, and angels.
If it’s just a myth, I wondered, are they deluding themselves? Or, at the least, are they understandably but unfortunately seeking comfort from a fairy tale? I wonder.
In quite simplistic terms, I believe “trustworthy” stories are told by people I trust. And when I think about people (or institutions like churches) that I trust, I think about people who treat the people I care about well. If I perceived that the institution of the church had hurt me or mine, I would not listen to or believe the stories. I truly believe that many of the people who are no longer part of our Christian faith have been deeply hurt by the church or people within the church.
Dr, Lose,
I am a devoted fan of your messages in “In the Meantime.”
(I was also in your preaching class at Luther in 2002.) Every day I look forward eagerly for them!
I agree with your Biblical interpretations. Truth like answered prayer cannot be verified by facts. But the “proof is in the pudding.” Often it’s unexplainable. It needs to be tasted!
Thank you for all the time you put into these messages every day.
Blessings to you.
Bev Deak
Fact or fiction. Myth or true story. History or fable. Emptiness or fullness. My experience tells me that truth is neither and yet both and everything in between. Was Jesus born to a virgin, literally? I certain do not know. Virgin births are not anything I have ever seen among people. Yet,I have come to believe that God has come down from heaven and became knowable in the person of Jesus. So, I believe the Christmas story to be a true expression of what God is about when we talk of Jesus. Could I tell that same story differently? Yes. But there is a great economy of words to simply say “I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.” Myth? Yes but a myth that speaks the truth of God’s divine action into our story, truly a miracle. How do I know? That’s a long story of my life’s journey with God. Now, not all myths are true. SOME ARE DOWN RIGHT LIES. I heard too many in this most recent election cycle. And facts are not much good in determining truth. Taken out of context, facts can be used to support all kinds of LIES. We need a standard of reliable truth by which we can judge all claims of truth. Could that be Jesus? God’s Word? Maybe even the Christmas, cross and resurrection?
Hi David,
I just wanted to say that this “third way” of understanding faith and “truth” (which you articulate very eloquently in your post) is something that I have encountered many times over my ministry. For example, often when I am preaching I think “gee that sermon was a dud” and hear weeks later from a parishioner how profoundly it had affected them and I think “were we even in the same church?!” The “truth” of the situation (in my mind) was that my message was inarticulate but for the person on the receiving end obviously the Holy Spirit was at work and they heard something that connected for them and made sense. I can’t count the number of times I have prayed with someone and at the end I was afraid to open my eyes because I thought I had sounded cliche or nonsensical only to find that the person is crying because they had found it meaningful…just as there are three sides to every story: His side, her side and somewhere in the middle so it is with our understanding of the bible and its stories when it comes to the truth and fact.
Thank you DJL for laying this out for us : )