A Weapon of Mass Destruction

A recent exchange on Facebook got me to thinking about how we use the Bible in our arguments. The issue raised on Facebook was one of those hot button issues that move beyond debate to insult and accusation. I admit I made my own accusation when I brought up the legalist trump card.

In this case, the issue was homeschooling. I support, in principle,the right for parents to homeschool, meaning I think some of them are doing a good job. However, some parents home school only to promote an isolationist point of view and neither educate the whole child or prepare him or her to be a full citizen of the Kingdom of God.

So I am like the teacher who yelled at the kids playing in her freshly poured sidewalk. She loved kids in the abstract not in the concrete. I support homeschools in the abstract but not in the concrete, not categorically.

That being said one of the FB friends in the debate apparently believes every parent should home-school or risk being in league with the forces of darkness. He is entitled to that opinion but in my opinion he is making a statement that is too broad. .

What stirred my thinking though was this FB friend’s use of Scripture in such a way that those who took a different view were labeled fools and then this use of Scripture was justified by saying “Hey, I am not the author. I am only quoting Scripture”.

Let’s put the argument in context.

I think parents should home-school for the Bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Maybe I am wrong (it wouldn’t be unusual) but using Scripture this way implies that parents who home-school are following the way of wisdom but those who don’t are fools This turns the Bible into a weapon of mass destruction.

It is clear from the Bible itself that Scripture is a weapon—and an offensive weapon at that. Paul says in Ephesians that we are to put on the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We could debate the meaning of this passage since the word rhema and not logos is used but let’s assume for sake of argument that the Bible is a sword and therefore a weapon. How does that impact my use of Scripture?

Do I use the Bible to behead people, even other Christians with whom I disagree? Or do I present the Word and let the Spirit do His work?

Quite often we use the Bible as a hammer. I have done that myself, sometimes on purpose to make a point, and on one occasion I used the Bible as a hammer to save myself from a beating but that is another story.

Is there another way to promote home-schooling (and once again I note there are those who shouldn't)? How about Paul’s words in Philippians?

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I think the Holy Spirit is capable of applying the word He inspired to reach me and others. I don’t need to use Scripture in such a way that it becomes a weapon of destruction.

The issue raised on FB was homeschooling but the principle I am raising is how we use the Bible. Are we using it as a weapon to beat people who disagree or to end an argument or do we allow the Spirit to reprove, rebuke and correct.

And to get almost everything on the table I think you should know that I have taught in 3 Christian schools (One of these I, with several other pastors, got jump started) I also worked under contract to the state of Pennsylvania working in adult literacy—teaching reading to adults who did not learn how to read in public school. Now I work for the Federal Government but I am not writing this as a Federal employee nor are my views representative of the views of the Federal government. These views are my own and I believe them to be true or I would change them.