Rethinking how we listen to God
In The Blue Parakeet Scot McKnight explores, explains, defends and rebukes the various ways Christians read the Bible.
McKnight, a professor of religious studies at North Park College in Chicago and the writer of the popular Christian blog The Jesus Creed, spends the early pages of this book unfolding his hyper-conservative upbringing—the type that basks in phrases like "God said, I believe it, that settles it for me!" Like many of us, McKnight was eventually shocked to discover that we all pick and choose some parts of the Bible to believe literally and other which we don't.
"What I discovered," he writes, "is that we all pick and choose. I must confess this discovery did not discourage me as much as it disturbed me, and then it made me intensely curious…. The discoveries and disturbances converged onto one big question: How, then, are we to live out the Bible today?"
After recounting his journey from a hyper- (and hypocritical) literalism to an admitted pick-and-choose method, McKnight explores the questions: What is the Bible? What do I do with the Bible? How do I benefit from the Bible? He then proceeds to examine the issue of women in church ministries today using the methods of biblical learning and perspective described in the first two-thirds of the book.
If you're a dedicated complementarian, you'll reject McKnight's egalitarianism. If you're already convinced, this might add a bit of clarity. If you're on the fence, I'll venture to say that McKnight will convince you of his position. This is, after all, who the book is aimed at: the undecided.
McKnight's purpose in writing the book is well described in the following quotation: "I believe there is an inner logic to our picking and choosing, but I believe we need to become aware of what it is. Until we do, we will be open to accusations of hypocrisy. It's that simple, and it's that lethal. If you tell me you believe the Bible and seek to live every bit of it, and if I can find one spot that you don't—especially if that spot is sensitive or politically incorrect or offensive—then we've all got a problem."
I have challenged a few Christians this way myself over the years—the type whose logic is so skewed that, if followed to it's logical end, would require them to stone a homosexual person to death. This is the type of dilemma we create for ourselves if we claim that we don't pick and choose.
Even if you disagree with the application of McKnight's ideas regarding women in ministry, the first two thirds of the book should be required reading for anyone wishing to be thought of as an intelligent and informed Christian. I recommend putting The Blue Parakeet into the hands of the youngest person you can find who will read it. Many an over-zealous, judgment-launching attitude may be changed by McKnight's thesis.
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