Today I visited the Christianity Today website. I don’t know why I do this, because it usually makes me a little crazy. I’m sure all the people that work there are wonderful, but sometimes their views on Christianity make me wonder. For instance, today they had a Q&A, that among other topics, had a woman asking whether or not she should get breast augmentation. She felt she would be happier with larger breasts. For the most part, the answer was pretty reasonable. They discussed whether it would actually make her happy, what potential consequences might be, etc. But the columnist also mentioned that they couldn’t find anything in the Bible that indicated whether getting breast implants was right or wrong.
I’m sorry, but give me a break! If I remember correctly, the Bible was written several thousands of years ago. I don’t think they were doing cosmetic surgery back then. Does the Bible really need to be the answer for every question? I didn’t realize that was the first place to look for any question I might have. Here are a couple of questions that I think I’ll check in the Bible for the answers:
- I seem to remember something in Leviticus about not shaving. Does that include nose hair? Will God be angry if I take care of my nose hair?
- My wife thinks that when I get holes in the crotch of my pants, I should throw them away. I think that as long as I’m not parading my crotch around in public, who cares?
- I think it is perfectly acceptable to not fold my clothes after I do the laundry. I’m content fishing underwear, socks, etc. out of the laundry basket as I need them. My wife, on the other hand, prefers her clothes in her dresser. What is the right Biblical practice? Laundry basket or dresser? The answer better be in the Bible – my marriage might depend on it!
It seems to me that by seeing the Bible as so inclusive we’re really making it smaller. Isn’t enough that it is the story of our faith as Christians and the guide for our spiritual lives? Why do some people try to stretch it to be more than it is? It seems to me that God expects us to make the occasional decision on our own. Can something that was written 2000+ years ago really provide detailed, specific advice to our 21st century lives? Or does it provide the spiritual and moral framework in which we live and let us figure out how to respond to the details? Guess what I think…
Here are some other Christian sites I like:
Sojourners Magazine
The Christian Century
The United Methodist Church
posted by Brian @ 8:25 PM
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