MaddowBlog: This Week in God, 5.30.15: screw the poor; Jewish #wow; bigotry; demons:
Last edited Sat May 30, 2015, 07:26 PM - Edit history (1)
This Week in God, 5.30.15: screw the poor; Jewish war on women; bigotry; demons
First up from the God Machine this week is an unexpected scriptural debate over how to read one of the more widely known verses in the Christian Bible.
Matthew 25:40 includes a phrase that many have likely heard, regardless of their faith tradition: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. The phrasing is generally seen as championing the needs of the poor to turn your back on those struggling is to turn your back on God.
But my colleague Will Femia this week flagged an amazing report from Glenn Becks conservative website, The Blaze, which put an incredible twist on Biblical interpretation.
Denny Burk, professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky, most certainly isnt the first to make the claim that the least of these is actually a reference to Christians who face struggles in sharing their faith, but his stated view on the matter is the most recent proclamation to spark interpretive discussion.
This text is not about poor people generally. Its about Christians getting the door slammed in their face while sharing the gospel with a neighbor, Burk wrote. Its about the baker/florist/photographer who is being mistreated for bearing faithful witness to Christ. Its about disciples of Jesus having their heads cut off by Islamic radicals.
I see. So, against the backdrop of the right-to-discriminate debate, conservatives want the least of these to refer to themselves.
. ...
My suspicion is this interpretation may struggle to catch on among Christians in general, but I suppose its something to keep an eye on.
Also from the God Machine this week:
* A group of anti-Muslim conservatives scheduled an event to revel in their anti-Muslim bigotry: Competing protests in Phoenix near a mosque where a group planned a controversial Muhammad cartoon contest ended Friday after some yelling and arguing but no reports of violence.
* A lawsuit worth watching: A Colorado teacher has filed a federal lawsuit against the school district where he works, alleging the districts only high school illegally promotes Christianity in conjunction with a nearby evangelical church.
* This seems like a very bad idea: Leaders of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect in north London recently issued a statement to their community that bans women from driving.
* TV preacher Pat Robertson warned his followers this week that like it or not, demons are real and they will possess and they will destroy those who mess with them: Good to know.
More
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-53015?cid=eml_mra_20150530