The Power of the Towel

I don't get it. I see it time and time again, and I fail to understand the logic every time. I'm really tired of hearing, "The Bible is supposed to be easy enough for a child to understand," or, "You're doing mental gymnastics that aren't neccessary and are thinking way too hard about it," or, "The plain reading of the text proves you wrong," or, "If you need bullet points and a system of theology than you're going wrong somewhere."

Apparently, their "plain reading of the Bible" doesn't help them to understand that they need to love their God with their mind, as well as their heart, soul and strength. And last I checked, I'm not so sure a five year-old...ok, ok...a twelve year-old...alright already, or even I can claim that Revelation is an easy read.

The Bible was written thousands of years ago, so we have to understand the perspective of such audiences. God used about 40 different men to write 66 different books/letters, many in different genres that all need special understanding. Our English version has been translated from Ancient Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic, and we have how many English versions? But somehow people have come to think that understanding and interpreting Scripture is easy...so easy a child could do it.

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not suggesting that Scripture is impossible to understand or interpret correctly, and certainly not that children are stupid, but there is a distinct difference between milk and meat (and you can even catch that in a "plain reading" of Scripture!). So why is it that when we are under the teaching of Scripture, we simply find someone we like and hand them our brain and tell them to "fill 'er up!" Why do we get the attitude when we sit in front of Scripture thinking that if we bust superficially through x chapters a day that somehow I'm a super-Christian. And after all of this, some still have the gall to say something like, "this (clearly unbiblical teaching) is what the Holy Spirit led me to understand."

To me, it sounds more like an excuse for laziness than anything. Somehow we feel fully justified believing certain things because it seems like that's what the Text is saying upon first glance. But really, we just don't want to take the time to know God deeper. We like comfortable. And if it's going to take me out of my comfort zone, than it must not be of God.

Where do we come up with this stuff?