Human Rights and the Bible

Ever read the Bible and something "grates" on you? For instance, do you know the Bible endorses slavery? It even regulates how fathers can sell their daughters. In our 21st century world, that's not only bizarre, but appears just plain evil. Atheists seize statements such as these to attack the Bible. There's actually a website EvilBible.com. 

Here's the problem: Viewing the Bible through our 21st century lens, we get a distorted picture. Years ago, I learned this in Russia. Sitting in a museum with my legs crossed, a guard approached me with an AK47 slung across his shoulder, asking me to "kindly uncross my legs". Later I discovered it's an insult in Russian culture to display the bottom of your shoe, as I was doing. But it didn't make sense to me. If we struggle with understanding contemporary cultures, how much more Biblical cultures of 3,000 years ago? Even in America, we wrestle with laws we don't "get". For instance, in Wilbur, WA it's illegal to lead an ugly horse through town; in Alaska, you can't get drunk in a bar; and in Connecticut, a pickle can't be sold unless it "bounces." If those laws seem crazy, don't be shocked when you read laws in God's word that seem even crazier!

God always meets us where we are and slowly moves us toward his perfect will. You can't suddenly change direction in a car travelling 70 MPH. First, you slow the vehicle down. God does the same thing with the human race. Laws of the Bible actually brought radical advancements to human rights. The very fact that God granted some rights to women, children and slaves seemed outrageous at that time! God entered into their world, introducing human rights and moved mankind forward. And He continues to do so. Through the centuries, the Bible has been responsible for more advancements in human rights than anything else. 

Even understanding all that, sometimes I still don't "get" God, especially in the Old Testament, but I "get" Jesus. That's one reason Jesus came; to show us what God's really like. Hebrews 1:3 states, "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being." When I view God through the "lens" of Jesus, then then world, the Bible and the mystery of God become much clearer. 

This Sunday at Santa Rosa Christian Church, I'm preaching on this topic, in a series "Too Tough to Swallow: Exploring the Hard Issues of Scripture". Check it out at srchristianchurch.org