I, like many others, were saddened and frustrated by Fourth Avenue Church of Christ's indulgence of a very talented young woman being put in the pulpit this past Sunday. The leadership at Fourth Avenue is obviously speaking where the Bible does not speak and making inferences where it does not.
It makes me wish we had updates on the Bible.
Just like we would update to iOS 8 or Android 5.0 and see all the new designs and features, I wish we could receive updates and changes and amendments to the Bible - direct from Jesus Himself.
I'm not saying there's bugs in the Bible that need to be fixed. I'm not saying the Bible is inaccurate in any way.
It would just be nice to get some updates on things that happen in our society that maybe the Bible isn't specific on, or there's not much content on. Maybe it would look something like this:
The Holy Bible, v. 2.1.1
What's New in this Version
- Extra explanation and clarification on Matthew 19.9 (12 scriptures added)
- More on Jesus' life between 12 years old and 30 years old
- Extended discussions from Jesus, Paul and Silas on Women's roles in the church
No matter how conservative or liberal you are, you have to admit that this would be great.
But, unfortunately, it's not.
The Bible we have is the whole, inspired Word of God and should not and cannot be changed. While it would be great to get 'version updates' direct from Jesus on certain scriptures, that's just not how it is. God isn't sending an update to the Bible from his cloud anytime soon, because what He has given us is it. It should be the first and last word for the governance of our lives as Christians. And when we impose our own wants and wills on this holy book then we are just flat wrong. Interpretation is one thing, adding or taking away from what God has said is another.
Do not be deceived, this is not the only 'movement' going on in our churches. There must be a clear divide to what the Bible actually says and what we want it to say.
Because that 2.0 update isn't coming along any time soon.