Beware the Orange Man

Even after the verdict, millions of Christians still cling to the orange man.

How can that be?

Christian conservatives are morally conflicted.

What is a Christian conservative? Anyone who reads the Bible as if it is inerrant.

As if it is a monolith.

As if literature written over one thousand years (and more) speaks with one voice.

As if the images of God from ancient Israel match the image we have in the teachings of Jesus.

As if Moses has the same authority for Christians as their Savior.

As if Deuteronomy is as important to Christians as The Sermon on the Mount.

Inerrancy breaks the first commandment. It makes the Bible an idol. It turns the Bible into God.

And it diminishes the authority of Jesus.

Jesus tells us to love those who don’t love us, even our enemies.

The Old Testament says God ordered the Israelites to kill their enemies.

Who wins out? 

Bible inerrantists take an average. Jesus loses. 

His message of God’s unconditional love for all people is rejected.

For Bible inerrantists, love is not an absolute standard. This puts them on shifting sand.

This is why Conservative Christians are vulnerable to the orange man.

And vulnerable to others who preach vengeance and self-interest.

Someone analyzed the sermons of a well-known inerrantist preacher. Over 90 percent of his scripture references were from the Old Testament.

Yes, the Bible is our authority. But it has within it an even higher authority.

Jesus.   

If you don’t know this—the orange man may get you.