“Not at all, William, sit down.” The parson raised his hand toward the server. “Janet, would you get William what he wants?”
Telling Janet just a cup of coffee would do, William settled himself in a chair across the table from the parson. “The thing I wanted to ask you about … I’m sorry, parson, do you have a little time?”
“I’ve always got time, William.”
“I mean, if you’re in a hurry, I could see you later.”
“I quit being in a hurry when I turned fifty-six, William, and that was back in the last century. What’s on your mind?”
“I really don’t know how to phrase this,” said William. Janet set his coffee before him. He thanked her. “I guess what’s on my mind is what I should believe.”
“What you should believe? What you should believe about what?”
“You know, religion, God, the church, that sort of thing.”
The parson finished his breakfast. He took time to bite the sliced section of orange pulp from the peel in order to gather his thoughts. Looking over at William, he dropped the peel on his plate, took another sip of coffee, wiped his lips with the napkin, and pushed the plate to the side of the table. “William,” he asked after these seconds of contemplation, “did you get up out of bed this morning and decide you needed to believe something?”
“Ah, parson, no; I didn’t. It’s just that Brenda and I are engaged, as you know. She’s insistent that we be active in the church. I’m having problems with that.”
“You’re having trouble with her being insistent or being active in the church?”
William replied immediately, “I’m having trouble with … Oh; I get it – her being insistent. That’s pretty slick, parson. No, as insistent as Brenda is about things that’s not my problem. My problem is the joining of a church.
“Did you think I was going to tell you not to?”
“Well, you might.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because, I don’t believe a lot of the stuff in the Bible.”
“Well, William,” said the parson, “if that’s all that’s keeping you from joining the church, you should go and do it this Sunday.”
“Parson, how can you say that? How can you be a Christian and not believe the things in the Bible?”
“It’s not hard, William, I do it everyday. What is it you don’t believe?”
William sat back a minute as Janet had approached. She asked him if he wanted a refill. William accepted as did the parson. When she walked away, William leaned forward and said in an almost conspiratorial tone, “Well, I don’t believe that stuff about miracles.”
“I don’t either.”
“What?”
“What, what?”
“Parson, how can you say you don’t believe the miracles? You’re a Christian minister.”
“William, the Bible says when Jesus calmed the winds the disciples were amazed. It says the crowds were amazed when he drove out demons, when he healed the sick and caused the blind to see and the deaf to hear. Think about it, William, if they really believed in miracles they wouldn’t have been amazed, would they? If I really believed it unconditionally I wouldn't have these little doubts scamper through my mind every time I read about them.”
“You’re just playing with words, aren’t you, parson?”
“Am I?”
“What about the other stuff?”
“What other stuff?”
“What about the resurrection. I just can’t believe that; and the whole Christian faith rests on that. You believe in the resurrection, don’t you?”
“Do you mean the physical resurrection, like a dead body getting up and walking around?”
“Well, yes.”
“Heck, no, William, that totally defies logic doesn’t it?”
“But parson …”
“William, the disciples didn’t even believe it.”
“They didn’t?”
“No, if they had believed he’d do what he told them and rise from the dead, they’d have been camped out outside the tomb, don’t you think?”
“But if you don’t believe …”
The parson held up his hand. “William, often I have trouble believing up here." The parson tapped his finger on his temple. "The modern world tells me just as clearly as it does you that some of these things are scientifically impossible. And as such my calculating mind can’t grasp it. But I have faith, William. I have faith.”
William stared at the parson. A long pregnant moment went by. Then he leaned forward again and whispered to the parson, “Where does one get faith?”
“You don’t get it, William. It’s not something you just order. It’s something that comes to you.”
“When does it come to you, parson?”
“Ah, William, I think faith starts to come when we really believe.”
“When we believe what?”
The parson leaned over the table and this time he whispered, “It will come, William, when you really believe all that you’re capable of believing.”
QP,
So how do you decide in you own mind which Bible stories are historical and which ones are not? For a story like the one about the Good Samaritan it probably matters little if the story really happened or not, because we can all appreciate the obvious teaching. On the other hand if like Marcus Borg you see the resurrection story as metaphorical rather than historical, then I'm not sure you haven't ripped the heart out of Christianity.
Another issue I have with some liberal Christians is that they tend to pick out the best about Jesus and ignore more difficult issues like his frequent references to hell , his failed return within the lifetime of his contemporaries etc. Comments anyone?
Posted by: Albert | January 09, 2007 at 08:14 AM
QP,
What would you say to someone who says that modern biblical scholarship tends to discount many Bible stories as myths and legends?
Posted by: Albert | January 09, 2007 at 11:34 AM
Here's one interesting way on looking at how to interpret the Bible
http://www.eastlandscreenprints.com/jh/slm/
Posted by: Albert | January 09, 2007 at 11:39 AM
My Son I had a talk over Christmas and he expressedsimilar doubts to me. He's in his late 20's.We spokeat length about faith withoutabsolute proofthough I was nowhere near as elloquent as you. I have emailed him your comments and begged that he take time to read them. Thank you Parson. Pax.
Posted by: An Observer | January 09, 2007 at 12:13 PM
I think that's essentially true, if you're use the term myth. However, modern biblical scholarship tends to get a bum wrap from some conservatives in this. A myth is simply understood as a story that tells a truth. Most modern scholars in saying a story, Noah perhaps, is a myth are not denying the truths that come from those stories.
A fictional novel of our day is capable of proclaiming a truth. My own stories here on QP, I hope, express a truth. And while they are based usually on actual happens they are not told literally.
Posted by: Anonymous Visitor | January 09, 2007 at 02:39 PM