Let’s stop picking at Bible,
start doing what it says

I often remind the worship team at my church to subdue their chatter while the microphones are active. They aren’t aware that their discussions are being broadcast throughout the sanctuary.
Likewise, our discussions on the Viewpoint page are broadcast not only across Southwest Texas but into the world where we are supposedly working to “offer Christ to all.”
When our world is in peril, Christians with the intelligence to articulate their opinions so skillfully are arguing about who is God and what is the Bible. Commentaries on what I call “The Dan Adams Show” only redirect our time, energies and talents away from kingdom-building.
So many of our churches are struggling, not because of changing demographics, economics or the commercialization of Sunday morning but because of the leadership of “marginal Christians” who pick and choose which parts of the Gospel are “relevant.”
Either God is, or God isn’t. Either Jesus Christ is, or Jesus Christ isn’t. Either the Bible is, or the Bible isn’t. True faith is complete, not selective (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Certainly, misinterpretation is common; but it isn’t the fault of the Bible; it’s the fault of the ones who mislead those who aren’t yet strong enough in the faith to discern the word and trust God (Mark 9:42).
The problem lies in this continuous commentary. At some point, we need to “shake the dust from our sandals” and move on to the reason God gives us breath: To worship him in service (Romans 12:1) and make disciples for Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19).
If I were a first-time visitor to a United Methodist church and read in the Witness what’s on the minds of Southwest Texas Methodists, I would see something closer to CNN versus Fox News (Romans 12:3) than something that displays Methodists as the body of Christ.
That so many United Methodists have stopped reading the Witness because of their disdain for “The Dan Adams Show” strongly suggests that a first-time reader is quite likely to walk away with a negative opinion of The United Methodist Church.
For those who understand, “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” For all others, just watch those who do understand and learn.
While so many of us are playing into the agenda of one person, people in our churches are struggling to earn a single profession of faith. Nondenominational congregations are forming and thriving literally in our backyards.
For some, it’s much easier to pick at the Bible than to do what it says.
For the guest contestants of “The Dan Adams Show”: Your congregations need you to step away from the keyboard and into the mission fields.