Measuring Truth: A Lesson From My Father

In July of 1989 I had my bags packed and was bound for college. I had been accepted to Nyack College, a Christian liberal arts college just outside of New York City.  You would assume a parent would have no reservations or concerns as they sent their child off to a religious school.  But you would be wrong.  My dad (an alum of the college), sent me off with one piece of advice.  He asked me to measure everything I am taught by what I know to be true.  He would repeat that same advice a few months later as I began to search for a church.  My father simply said, just because a preacher says it, doesn't make it true.

Understand, my father (a smart man) was not a deep intellectual nor someone who could be classified as counter-cultural.  My father was genuine and everything about him rang true.  He was sincerely interested in all the people he met.  There was a finesse to how he communicated truth.  Those who knew him, trusted him.  And so it came as no surprise that he would implore me to seek truth and to weigh the lessons of those that would teach me.

This past week I have thought of him often.  Not because it was the run up to Father's Day - but because more scripture was thrown about on cable TV than ever before.  When Jeff Sessions so frivolously invoked Romans 13:1  - with a smile mind you - I could see my dad sitting in his recliner arms crossed in front of him and shuttering.  And even though he would have never been a Stephen Colbert fan, he would have found his approach in considering Roman 13:10 more in keeping with how the scriptures are to be read - you are to consider the full text.

Here are two words to add to your vocabulary:

Prooftexting:  the practice of using isolated, out of context quotations from a document to establish a proposition in eisegesis.

Eisegesis:  the process of interpreting text or portion of text in such a way that the process introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas or biases into and onto that text.

This is the very thing my father warned me against.  Scripture could be used to defend nearly anything. For example, let's say some wife has had it up to here with her husband and decided to kill her husband by driving a blunt instrument into his skull.  Well, had she coincidentally read Judges 4:21 (But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.) she could very easily say God made me do it.  But we know that per the 10 commandments we are not to murder.  Now, this example may be rather absurd - but is no more dangerous than leaders removing scripture from its context and weaponizing it for their own agenda.

The Holy Bible is the inspired word of God.  Through my life I have seen characters treat the word of God as if it were their own word - pasting together one verse after the other to defend their point of view.  This just rubs me the wrong way, as I was used to the expository preaching of my Father.  Expository preaching is teaching the scripture in a comprehensive manner - taking context very seriously. 

As leaders spout off scripture verse after scripture verse we must take Matthew 7:15 very seriously, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."  As the chapter moves on (Matthew 7:23) we are reminded what fate befalls those "prophets." "Then I will tell them plainly 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"  And for those of you that are hunkered in and are digging up verifiable outward actions as proof do me a favor check out Matthew 7:22.

We need to be so very careful when we see scripture being used as a defense. Historically speaking we know that scripture has been used to defend some of  this worlds greatest travesties.  The obvious examples are slavery and the holocaust.  But a memory from my childhood that is burned into my mind is Jonestown - 909 people died a third of which were children.  All because these folks followed a man that quoted scripture and promised utopia, a return to a better life.

Lastly, we need to understand that in the scripture leaders are held to a higher standard. "It is an abomination for kings to commit wicked acts, For a throne is established on righteousness" Proverbs 16:12. And this idea of accountability comes full circle in James "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."  (3:1) And our hope would be that the teachers and leaders that come our way would take their roles seriously and seek the truth.  And this isn't "relative truth."

Too often, we don't consider the information that comes our way.  If it fits our perspective it must be true. But it isn't.  For example, the children in cages image that was widely reported did not happen under this President. However, the reports of children being taken from their parents for a "bath" and not being returned is very true.  So even though I am immigrant sympathetic - I want to ensure I've got the story right.  There is no merit to an argument that isn't grounded in truth.  Take the assertion from the President that many parents of  US soldiers from the Korean conflict asked him during the campaign to bring their child's remains back from Korea is just wrong. Do the math.  My dearly departed grandmother had two sons in that conflict. She passed away in 1996 and was 93 years old.  We simply need to pause and as my Father asked of me, measure everything.  And I would add to that - when you are wrong - own it.

My America the Beautiful

As we move through this shift in our history, how we define America has received quite a bit of debate.  What are our values?  How we do we recognize our past, while moving into our future?  Who is an American? Who has a right to become an American citizen?  The questions are endless and rich in controversy.  As we approach this holiday commemorating the ideals we all agree on  - Liberty, Independence, and Freedom - let's take a break from the noise and look at the beautiful America that surrounds you.  Here is a snapshot of my beautiful America.

There is nothing more wonderful than hearing English spoken with an accent from the another part of the world.  Even the mix called Spanglish - spoken by the mother that is struggling to learn and the patience of her daughter explaining a proper morning greeting.  There is beauty in the group of 15 or so Russian immigrant women meeting after hours in a local hair salon to learn English.  And as a child of the 80's it made me laugh (in joy) to hear my daughters Head Coach talk about the importance of Independence Day in his very distinct Eastern European accent.

My beautiful America can be heard in the mournful yet hopeful tones of the shofar.  It sparkles through holiday lights displayed in the early autumn as my neighbors celebrate Diwali.  Then there are the red envelopes that my children bring home in mid-winter as gifts from their Chinese-American classmates as they celebrate the Lunar New Year.  There is the beauty of the women in their Sunday best, which always includes a lovely hat, as we share the elevator on Sunday mornings as we head off to our services.

My beautiful America is seen in the hands that serve.  Those who prepare meals for the hungry at the Bowery Mission.  Those who rescue leftover food from local stores and restaurants, ensuring they get to people in need.  It is in food delivery services such as Gods Love We Deliver that gets the sick a nourishing meal. There is beauty in the way the nurses care for the cancer stricken.  And there is a sacrificial beauty in the hands of those men from the Gay Mens Health Crisis in the early 80's that risked their lives to ensure that the sick and dying were fed and kept clean when no one else would.

My beautiful America is in the smiling faces of friends who having endured years of struggle finally get their green card.  And even better, when they finally receive full citizenship.  My beautiful America is in the face of my children - their father is a 1st generation American, their great-grandfather on my side was an immigrant to America, and yet throughout the tangled limbs and roots of their ancestry they carry decades of family making their way to the shores of America.  

We all experience different facets of American life.  It seems lately, there has been much focus on what divides us.  As we celebrate this holiday, may we appreciate the beauty around us.  May we all live understanding that each of us carry within in us the hope of past generations. This is my beautful America.