America Reads the Bible?

Which America? The America that is home to hundreds of millions across every race, gender, sexuality, language, and belief? Or the America of only those deemed “actual” Americans? You know the deal – white, believers of the Prosperity Gospel, wealthy. Fighting over who is an American has been going on since the very beginning. The only thing that has changed is how “white” and “American” is defined and who fits into those categories.

The Bible is being read publicly this week at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC. It’s a great publicity stunt for the museum. And “Museum” is being generous. The museum was built in 2017 to the tune of $500 million. This public reading of the Bible seems like a decent marketing ploy to attract more visitors. I can only imagine what the annual operating budget is for such a place. Seems like that money could be better used to attempt to live into what faithful discipleship means, rather than maintain a facade designed to signal what a “good” Christian a person is. The founder of the museum is Steve Green, the CEO of Hobby Lobby. So many of these type of museums take on a similar theological bent – one that I have trouble relating with. They are so desperate to be right, they invest a ton of money to build large obnoxious structures designed to overwhelm opponents into submission or at the very least, just to get lost in the monstrosity. It reminds me of the Stone Mountain in Georgia – what I would call an outdoor cathedral dedicated to the theology of the Confederacy designed to overwhelm and shut down reasoning and debate. It’s about being right and attempting to convince everyone else they are too. How could they be wrong after all? See how much they invested in showing you how right they are?

My first reaction to the public Bible reading was anger at seeing the Bible being used yet again as a prop. I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened. At least they aren’t holding the Bible upside down this time standing in front of church after protesters were cleared out of the way. And then I remembered something – Anger stems from reality not matching my expectations. I had unrealistic expectations about this whole thing.

While I want to shout “Stop!” I recognize my shouting into the void would be a waste of time and energy. The folks associated with the museum and this weeklong event aren’t going to listen no matter how loud I shout. And they won’t listen for a very specific reason – they are convinced they are right. If you were certain that you were right, why would you bother to listen to anyone opposed to you?

Secondly, the reality is that this public reading will end tomorrow and guess what? It will be forgotten pretty quickly. You know why? Nothing will change. What was the point of the event after all? When you go to the website and click off the pop up asking for a donation (it’s not cheap to keep overpriced propaganda structures going you know), you can click to “about” and read the last paragraph of why they did the event – “Through live readings, national broadcasts, discipleship partnerships, and local gatherings, this movement exists to remind leaders — and the nation — that lasting renewal begins with a return to God’s Word.” If that sounds like your parent “reminding” you to take out the trash, then you have the right vibe. They aren’t interested in asking or inviting you in for a conversation. They are “reminding” you that they are right and you need to comply.

What’s the core of my unrealistic expectation? It’s simply this – I made the mistake of assuming that these folks are most interested in having people follow the ways of Jesus. They aren’t. They never have been. For these people, Jesus isn’t an embodied person who calls on people to follow his way, which causes a change of the heart and how you live and interact. No, rather, for these folks Jesus is disembodied. He’s just a concept or abstract idea or belief that can be used. They aren’t really interested in Christianity or discipleship. It’s just a tool. Their core foundation isn’t the way of Jesus. It’s the ends justify the means. And Christianity is just a means to an end for them. These are folks who have control issues. When you grasp that, so much starts to make sense – the huge building to tell their propaganda stories, the large budgets to show how committed they are to their beliefs, the publicity stunts, using people in positions of authority, and more.

Their core operating system is that the ends justify the means. It’s the theology of empire. It’s the theology of colonization. It’s the theology of theocracy. There’s nothing new about any of this. They aren’t even interested in living into their stated purpose. If they could, they would mandate that everyone listen and pay attention to them and their “right” beliefs. And their dream is to make everyone comply.

Here’s the problem and why this always ends up collapsing eventually – When the ends justify the means, it means that everyone and everything is disposable. They have just convinced themselves that they are exempt from that consequence. But they aren’t. Just ask Pam Bondi, or Kristi Noem, or Lori Chavez-DeRemer, or Mike Waltz, or Dan Bongino, or Gregory Bovino, or Corey Lewandowski, or Joe Kent, or John Phelan, etc. They all thought they were exempt from the consequences of the ends justify the means. How’d that work out?

This belief system makes Scripture just a prop to be used, not actually listened to and followed. That would center Scripture, rather than the people in charge. Jesus is disposable for these folks too. So long as Jesus is useful as a tool for control over people he gets to stay. But following Jesus’ words and ways when those words conflict with these folks established beliefs – well, so much for Jesus.

When the ends justify the means is your operating system, then everything, including the Bible is a disposable prop to be used and discarded when it is no longer useful.

The good news is that the ends justify the means is not sustainable and it will collapse on itself. There is no example in history in which the system ever lasted. It can’t. It consumes itself like a cancer.

So, while I want to put out a whole list of theological arguments about the event, I won’t because the theology isn’t the point of this event. Control and compliance is. Let’s just name it for what it is. It’s control cosplaying as Christianity.

This event will be forgotten – good. Scripture isn’t supposed to be used as a weapon to subjugate those you disagree with. Scripture isn’t supposed to be a weapon used to force compliance. Scripture isn’t supposed to be used for virtue signaling how good of a Christian you supposedly are. In Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable that sums up this event quite well – ⁹ [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This public reading of the Bible is no different than the Pharisee praying in the temple.

If we want people to take the Bible seriously, then let’s be in conversation with the Bible. Let’s explore the culture and context of when it was written. Let’s look at the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Let’s talk about the impact of empires and oppression on the writers of Scripture. Let’s pray with the Scripture that it might open our hearts and minds to better align us with God. Let’s see how we are more often than not more like the oppressors of the stories, rather than the oppressed. Let’s ask for forgiveness. Let’s pray that we are released from the bondage and sin of certainty.

Because if we aren’t going to take Scripture seriously, then no amount of public reading is going to have an impact.

So here’s my prayer related to this event. I pray that the event will end and be forgotten. I pray that people’s eyes and ears and hearts will be open to seeing this event for what it is – using the Bible as a prop for strengthening the powerful. I pray that people will be set free from the sin of certainty and control. I pray that people will be released from the bondage of a destructive identity that consumes them and others.

And as for the public reading of the Bible – anyone can do that. The real challenge is to live into what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus, not to do some pointless virtue signaling while supporting policies and actions that are in direct opposition to the very Scripture that is being read out loud.