There is a spectrum among christians with two extremes. You have those Christians that see Christianity as a immovable steel structure; set in stone and unforgiving. On other side are those that see Christianity as a useful tool that should be bent and molded to meet the needs of the world it seeks to serve.
The strict and unbending of the faith see themselves as defenders. They are protecting thier religion from the onslaught of new culture that seeks to destroy Christianity one comprimise at a time. They rally around issues like abortion, physician assisted suicide, and prayer in school. I believe they mean well. To them the Bible is a book of theology that concretely lays out what a person ought to believe and do, with the emphasis on believe. The Bible to them is mainly a book to be studied and protected. These are the idealists
The other guys are bit more connected to reality. They are mainly doers. The Bible is a book of living that can be interpreted loosly. Theology is not nearly as important as helping people. They focus on parts of the Bible that are meaningful to thier lives. They are very pragmatic but usually only live out the parts of the Bible that mean something to them and ignore the rest. These are the realists.
Who are you? What is the Bible to you?
I stand closer to the idealists but lately have become very concerned with the pragmatic side fo the Bible. I believe you do not have to be on the spectrum. I believe if the Bible is well interpreted it makes the ideals real. I believe the Bible is written pragmatically and that systamatized theologies are useful but not prescriptive. I believe theology is only useful if it helps us serve God and help others. I believe we have to much talk about the Bible in our seminaries and not enough action. I believe our politics often get in the way of our ministry. What do you believe.
