Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
Page 19
Two other things went without being said for Paul and his audience. Lists were not intended to be exhaustive or exemplary or progressive. These were not the only vices. They were also not the five worst vices. There doesn’t seem to be a progression in the lists from bad to worst. In Paul’s day, it went without being said that a great way to describe something was to make a list. Lists could be organized around some sort of theme. For example, Paul seems to emphasize sins of speech in the second list, probably because the Colossians were having trouble with it. The main point Paul was making was that we need to be removing vices and adding virtues in an ongoing quest for godliness. Good advice.
As Westerners, we have two tendencies when interpreting these lists of vices. First, we often rank them. We consider certain vices as worse than others. Western Christians often view sexual sins as worse than others (we touched on this in chapter one). It goes without being said among Western Christians that sexual sins are really bad. In fact, when Western Christians attempt to address other sins, they sometimes hear responses such as, “You aren’t paying attention to the important things” or “You’re nitpicking.” To address some other sin opens one up to the charge of being a Pharisee. At the time of this writing, an online conversation was occurring about a number of mostly high-profile pastors who have resigned or are taking leaves of absence due to “excessive pride.” The question many have is what to do with them. We know that sexual immorality or financial misconduct can disqualify a person from ministry. But can pride? Is pride a vice worth firing a pastor over? Is it as bad as adultery? The core question seems to us to be: are some sins or vices worse than others? We might insist that no, all sin is the same, and perhaps even cite James 2:10 (“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”). Yet we clearly don’t believe it to be true at the gut level. Some sins will certainly get a pastor fired, and others will certainly not. When was the last time a pastor was fired for gluttony?
Our second tendency is to emphasize vices and deemphasize virtues. After discussing vices, Paul offers a list of virtues: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col 3:12). Again he gives a list of five. Before Paul lists his summary word, love, he actually interjects into his list an exhortation to forgive, likely because slander and some of the other sins of speech that Paul is encouraging them to cast off have caused hurt feelings in the church. What went without being said in Paul’s day was that it is not enough to remove vices; one must acquire virtues. The clothing metaphor indicates that. Once you cast off the vices, you didn’t want to stand around naked! Put on virtues. Yet Westerners tend to restrict the Christian life to avoiding vices.
In Scripture, the godly life is portrayed as a lifelong work, not a list of don’ts. The active pursuit of virtue, particularly through the disciplined practice of godly habits, is overshadowed. N. T. Wright, a world-renowned New Testament scholar, argues persuasively that Westerners don’t like to talk about virtue as habit. That makes virtue seem contrived or inauthentic. We only value virtue when it is spontaneous. This prejudice makes it harder for us to notice language in the Bible about developing virtue.[1] It goes without being said in our minds that virtuous acts are supposed to just happen, to bubble up unexpectedly in our lives. Virtue isn’t supposed to be the harvest from crops carefully planted years ago and tended with constant attention.
As it is described in Scripture, developing virtue is a process that begins with our thoughts and results in our deeds. In Psalm 101, the psalmist resolves,
I will be careful to lead a blameless life . . .
I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.
I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. (Ps 101:2-3)
It almost sounds self-righteous to Westerners. But what the psalmist is describing is a determination to pursue godliness.
Supplementing with New Virtues and Vices
In addition to ranking vices, we also supplement the biblical lists with virtues and vices from our own culture. Thus self-sufficiency, likely a vice by biblical standards, is considered a virtue in the West. Likewise, we add procrastination and plagiarism to our list of vices, even though there is nothing explicit about either of these in the Bible. Even now, as a reader you may be hastening to provide a biblical basis for these obvious vices. Surely Jesus wants us to plan and not procrastinate. When Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow, we are sure he still wanted us to plan. Planning is an important survival skill in middle-class America; that’s not the same thing as a virtue. Plagiarism became a modern sin with the invention of publishers and copyrights.
Let us use a different example. I (Randy) struggled with Indonesian students who “shared” homework answers. “Aren’t we supposed to share with our brother in need?” they would ask. I pointed out that they were hurting their own grade—an appeal to good old-fashioned American individualism. But they were willing to sacrifice for their fellow Christian. I insisted it was dishonest. They pointed out that they had not lied; they had told me they shared. The best I could do was say, “Sharing is Christian. Sharing work and then claiming an individual grade is dishonest.” I now tell students, in the United States and Indonesia, that they can work together on an exam. They just need to tell me how they want the grade split: 50/50, 60/40 or whatever!
The problem of supplementing virtue and vice lists is more serious than procrastination and plagiarism (although you probably still think those are very serious vices). Let us mention five Western virtues that are either nonbiblical (that do not have support from the Scriptures) or anti-biblical (that directly contradict the teaching of the Scriptures).
Self-sufficiency. North Americans have much less respect for someone “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” than for one who “pulls himself up by his bootstraps.” We value someone who has the ability to make a way for herself without the help, and especially the handouts, of others. Self-sufficiency has the ring of wisdom. But the Bible doesn’t support it. James reminds us that putting too much faith in our own plans dishonors God. Rather “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (Jas 4:15). Paul suggests that one can’t be truly Christian if the goal is self-sufficiency: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).
Fighting for freedom. It is readily accepted in American public discourse, and among many American Christians, that “Freedom is worth fighting for.” Jesus didn’t think so. Jesus could have joined the Jewish resistance that was fighting for the liberty of Israel from Roman rule. But he didn’t. Worse, he told his disciples not to. Instead of resisting the Romans, he taught radical obedience. When a Roman soldier strikes you, turn the other cheek. When he forces you to carry his gear one mile, willingly carry it two (Mt 5:39, 41). Worst of all, he told them that when the fighting started, they should “flee to the mountains” (Mt 24:16). John Wayne wouldn’t have fled for the hills. In this case, we prefer the Duke’s example.
In fact, old spaghetti westerns undermine several other biblical values as well. For those old enough to remember the TV Western Gunsmoke that aired for twenty years, Marshall Dillon loved Miss Kitty but never did marry her. In many westerns, when the shooting ended and the smoke faded, the hero got on his horse and rode away, leaving a grateful (but heartbroken) woman behind. Yet a Christian shouldn’t ride off into the sunset like the Hollywood hero. Rather, we should be like the thankful shopkeepers, blacksmiths and barbers who pause with their families to watch the hero ride off into the sunset. Paul urged Christians to lead quiet lives and care for their families (1 Thess 4:11; 2 Thess 3:12).
Pax Americana. Jesus comments, “My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (Jn 14:27). Jesus’ disciples knew who Jesus meant by “the world.” It was plastered on city walls, engraved on columns and stamped on coins. The Roman Empire prided herself on peace, the famed Pax Romana. Rome had inde
ed brought peace to that part of the world. For the first time, ships could ply the Mediterranean without fear of pirates. Travelers could move freely along the roads with little fear of bandits. Roman peace, though, was secured by the sword. When trouble started, the Roman military was there to stop it. They entered with overwhelming force. No one messed with them. Military force is an effective way to bring peace. The United States is famed worldwide for Pax Americana, for bringing peace the same way the Romans did. It does work, but Jesus said he didn’t bring peace that way.
Paul stated, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom 12:18). Your authors are not avowed pacifists; we just want to raise two objections to Pax Americana. First, we should not confuse Pax Americana with the Christian way. We need to stop writing Scripture verses on the sides of bombs. We are rather confident such a practice would not meet the WWJD criterion. Second, we suggest that we in the United States resort to military force much too quickly, a long time before we meet Paul’s standard of “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you.” Christians should echo the sentiment of the psalmist: “Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war” (Ps 120:6-7).
Leadership. How would you rather be recognized: as a leader or a follower? For many Westerners, the term follower connotes a weakness of character, as when a person cannot resist peer pressure but “goes along with the crowd.” Follower connotes a lack of creativity and ambition, portraying the average office worker as a drone dutifully churning out unimportant work under the direction of a (sometimes) talented and successful manager. By contrast, the term leader connotes a constellation of virtues. It implies that a person is efficient, creative, productive and charismatic enough to encourage others to be the same. Businesses want to hire leaders, not followers. And, perhaps ironically, so do churches. The importance of leadership among Christians is illustrated by the fact that one of the most influential magazines for church leaders in the United States is called Leadership Journal. As much as our culture pushes us to be leaders, the Bible urges us to become followers. At a certain level we know this is true, so we talk about “servant leadership” as a way of distinguishing our position from others. Of course, we are to be followers of Jesus (Mt 4:19). But we are also to be followers of those who follow Jesus faithfully (1 Cor 11:1). God even wants us to follow those whose station in life demands our obedience, even if they are not Christians (Rom 13:1-2; 1 Pet 2:13). Leadership is a Western virtue; submission is a biblical virtue.
Tolerance. I (Brandon) teach Introduction to World Religions at a secular college. Among my students, the American virtue of tolerance is regularly on full display. Students may roll their eyes or smirk now and then at notions of the supernatural that they consider quaint or naïve, but if you press them, they know better than to criticize anyone’s religious beliefs outright. Their instinctive tolerance leads them to say silly things such as, “All of the world’s religions are true.” It would make more sense to say that they are all false. But that would be intolerant. Tolerance is clearly not a biblical virtue. God declared to his people because of their tolerance, “I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah” (Jer 44:11). Western Christians feel the tension of wanting to affirm the uniqueness of Christ and the truth of the gospel while at the same time being perceived as tolerant of the beliefs of others. This isn’t easy to do, considering Jesus said things like, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Mt 7:13-14).
Self-sufficiency, freedom, “might makes right,” leadership and tolerance are all virtues we will likely teach to the next generation, whether consciously or unconsciously. It should be clear by now that not all our Western virtues come from the Bible, even if we insist that the Bible is our authority for moral conduct.
Ignoring Other Virtues
One important Western matrix of virtues that presents us with challenges when we read the Bible surrounds finances. We mentioned one popular proverb above that illustrates the virtue of frugality in Western culture: “A penny saved is a penny earned.” At least since Max Weber, scholars have noted that Protestant Christianity (especially those of Puritan heritage) puts significant emphasis on hard work, frugality and financial independence. If Roman Catholicism talks about God’s preferential care for the poor, Protestants believe that “God helps those that help themselves.” One way this plays out practically is that most Christians recognize the importance of saving money. Investing and putting money in the bank for the future or a rainy day is good stewardship and requires and reinforces another virtue: delayed gratification.
The parable of the rich fool is difficult for Westerners, because in it Jesus comes uncomfortably close to undermining this important virtue. That’s because what Westerners call a virtue—savings—many others in the Christian tradition, including Jesus himself, may consider a vice—greed. In the parable, a wealthy man yielded an abundant harvest. That’s good news. The bad news was he didn’t have room to store the extra grain. So he commanded his servants to tear down his barns and build him newer, bigger barns. They did, and the rich man was pretty pleased with himself. “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years,” he said to himself. “Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry” (Lk 12:19). This is what most of us strive for: enough savings to retire and live for decades on our surplus.
But God is not pleased with the man’s decision. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (Lk 12:20).
We are not sure what to do with this story, so we usually just ignore it. We know the rich man is the bad guy; God calls him a fool. But it isn’t clear what his vice was. Most Westerners will likely never consider that saving could be considered a vice. So we go hunting for a different one. Aha! It must be that he wanted “newer, bigger” barns; he must have been wasteful and materialistic. No. The vice is the one staring us in the face, the vice that, for Jesus and his audience, went without being said: the man didn’t share. “I have no place to store my crops,” he had said. Sure he did. People around him were hungry; he could have given the excess to his neighbors. Jesus wasn’t complaining that the man had full barns. He was complaining that the man had more than he needed and was still unwilling to share.
This doesn’t contradict the value of saving. Jesus didn’t denounce the man for working hard to fill his barns. The book of Proverbs is full of advice about hard work, careful planning and taking care of your people. The problem was not that the man’s barns were full. The problem—the man’s vice—was that he didn’t want to part with any of his possessions, even after his barns were full: “I will just build bigger barns.” While Proverbs encourages diligence, it also states: “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor” (Prov 22:9). In the very next few verses, Jesus encourages his disciples not to worry about the future. Do not be like the rich fool; instead, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (Lk 12:24, emphasis added)
Now, the biblical view of money is complicated. We’re not suggesting that it is un-Christian to save. But we are challenged by the assumption of many non-Western Christians that saving in excess could be a vice. For the first several centuries, Christians still viewed wealth as a limited resource. They recognized that when a few people hoarded resources, the rest were left with little. In a famous sermon, “To the Rich,” pastor and theologian Basil the Great had harsh words for those wealthy people who save for the future while others starve in the present:
Since, then, the wealth still overflows, it gets buried underground, stashed away in secret places. For (they say), “what’s to come is uncertain, we may face unexpecte
d needs.” Therefore it is equally uncertain whether you will have any use for your buried gold; it is not uncertain, however, what shall be the penalty of inveterate inhumanity. For when you failed, with your thousand notions, wholly to expend your wealth, you then concealed it in the earth. A strange madness, that, when gold lies hidden with other metals, one ransacks the earth; but after it has seen the light of day, it disappears again beneath the ground. From this, I perceive, it happens to you that in burying your money you bury also your heart. “For where your treasure is,” it is said, “there will your heart be also” (Mt 6:21). This is why the commandments cause sorrow; because they have nothing to do with useless spending sprees, they make life unbearable for you.[2]
Basil likely chose the language of burying wealth underground to allude to Jesus’ parable about the talents. One servant buried his talent. He didn’t use it; he just kept it safe. Likewise, in Basil’s day (and equally true in New Testament times), if you had food and your neighbors were hungry, you would have to hide the food. Basil said that to be so calloused as to hide resources from your needy Christian brothers and sisters required burying your heart with the treasure. Our emphasis on saving makes sense when we consider that most of us think of our options as either saving or spending. But the biblical witness and Christian tradition suggest that there’s another option: sharing. Rather than storing away all our excess for an uncertain future, God appears to expect believers to be faithful in the present.
Conclusion
The formidable Augustine of Hippo believed that all Christian reading of Scripture should be governed by the pursuit of virtue. In his case, he emphasized love (charity) above all else. As far as Augustine was concerned, reading Scripture should encourage the reader’s love for God and for his or her neighbor. “So anyone who thinks that he has understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by his understanding build up this double love of God and neighbour, has not yet succeeded in understanding them.”[3] This may seem naïve to us; surely not every passage of Scripture is about the love of God or neighbor! And yet many of us find in the Bible support for virtues like self-sufficiency, leadership and others that are arguably unbiblical. Augustine, at least, was aware of the virtue that was guiding his interpretation. We would do well to be so alert to our own presuppositions. The process of becoming sensitive to our presuppositions regarding vice and virtue is similar to becoming sensitive about our assumptions about mores.