You may not be asking the difficult theological questions, but your kids and grandkids are. Will we insist on them coming to where we are, or will we go to them with open hearts and minds? Will we remain fossilized in old doctrines without thinking? Will we see their questions as rebellion and modern skepticism or will we listen? Are we willing to consider their questions? Are we secure enough in our faith to consider their concerns seriously? Are we open-minded enough to believe everyone does not have to agree on everything? God is a God of near infinite diversity. You may love to hear the pages of real, hard-copy Bibles turning on Sunday morning, but making a big deal of things like that is so irrelevant. The Bible is the Bible on the phone or in a book. What matters is connecting with the Living Word. You may prefer a certain translation, but unless it is Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, it is not the original, anyway. You may prefer your style of music and worship, but bashing others’ preferences is not productive. With your faith, you may be unwilling to even question the difficulties all throughout the Old Testament, but people are genuinely asking questions which deserve a thoughtful response. As compassionate believers, we cannot bury our heads in the sand, with a sign to the left of us saying, “God’s ways are not our ways,” and one to the right saying, “God works in mysterious ways.” It is all about knowing Jesus and His Father by the Spirit. Does it really matter what they believe before they come to know Him? They should not feel there are prerequisites to meeting Jesus. They should not have to walk through a doctrinal maze to arrive at Jesus. Once they meet Him, their beliefs can adjust. Does someone have to read a version of the Bible you approve of to meet Jesus? Do they have to believe that Bible is inerrant? Do they have to believe in a literal six 24-hour-day creation 6000 years ago? Do they have to pass a series of drug tests? Do they have to have a moral life to meet Him? Can they come to Him with some beliefs you do not share? How many sincere people have been shot down for asking legitimate questions, resulting in deep hurt and disillusionment with God and/or the church? There are things in the Scriptures we need to grapple with because, quite honestly, they do not align with the God we have come to know in Jesus. Taken at face value, many horrendous things are attributed to God, and if He is like that, atheism makes sense. The Bible must be read in the light of the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Ignoring the struggles of genuine seekers is not love. We all need to rethink the entirety of the Bible in light of Jesus. It will be of great benefit to us and to others, as well.
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