Misusing the Bible


Christians from across the US are disgusted with Jeff Sessions and Sarah Sanders' interpretation of Scripture to justify separating children and parents who are seeking asylum.  I am disgusted too.  My facebook feed is filled with people offering a Christ-like, loving alternatives to this twisted interpretation of Scripture.  I can’t offer anything different or new, but if your facebook feed doesn’t look like mine, and you don’t know why Sessions and Sanders are wrong, let me offer you the highlights.

1.       Sanders and Sessions are proof texting.  Don’t know what that is?  Go here. Biblical scholars often point out the dangers of proof texting.  (Side note:  If you do it in seminary, you get a bad grade.  Trust me—I tried it once.)  Why is it bad?  It undermines the authority of the Bible when people cherry pick passages to make points that aren’t necessarily consistent with the overarching message/themes/story of the Biblical text.  When people prooftext to justify unloving behaviors, they are making the Bible into a weapon.  If you’re using the Bible to oppress and harm others, you’re using it wrong. 

2.       The bigger, loving, overarching message of the Bible actually speaks to how Christ-followers are to treat immigrants, strangers, and those who are vulnerable. I could point you to story after story, but here’s my favorite.  Matthew25:31-46.  

3.       I can’t find one legitimate Christian leader who stands by Sessions and Sanders' comments.  Can you?  In fact, their comments seem to be uniting Christians who can’t agree on other political issues.  When Christians of different stripes (e.g. Franklin Graham and William Barber) come to the same conclusion that this policy is unjust and disgraceful, this probably isn’t a gray-area issue.

4.       What can you do?  Contact your representative and senator with a very short email.  It’s not hard.  I pick three times a year to do it when I really care about issues.  This will be one of those times.  Get contact info on your representative and senators.  

5.   If you are United Methodist, here's something more you can do... Contact your fellow United Methodist Jeff Sessions asking him to read up on his church's stance.  Here is an article that tells you how to do that.  His contact info as at the bottom.  

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