"A.J. Jacobs is the senior editor at Esquire magazine. Over a year ago he decided to follow the rules of the Bible to the letter. For example, the Bible says a man should refrain from trimming the edges of his beard.
So Jacobs didn't shave. His beard got caught in zippers, got food stuck in it, and he got a lot of attention from airport security. Apparently, it also made two little girls cry. But the beard is just the beginning.
Jacobs says there are more than 700 rules in the Bible. He followed as many as possible, as literally as possible.
He even stoned an adulterer. No, we're not kidding!
Jacobs wrote about it all in a book called 'The Year of Living Biblically."
I heard about this episode last night and got curious about it as you can well understand. The interview was quite humorous and at times very insightful in terms of what "religion" offers secular society. However, he did comment on what we would call "cafeteria faith". Cafeteria faith being that one picks and chooses what they like and don't like about a particular faith system and lives out only that which they appreciate.
Funny thing is that I know we disagree with this concept in word, but in the day to day i wonder how much of this kind of thinking permeates our experience. I've often asked myself what I don't like about Scripture and faith, I wonder how much my preferences dictate how I understand the world, God and even myself.
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Love my family
Pilgrim Thoughts from Canada
Canadian Youth Worker
Rob Haslam
Love my family
Who Am I?
- Rob Haslam
- Well what can i tell you about myself? I'm a youth worker in Canada. I've been in youth ministry for about 15 years now and have loved every minute of it. I have 1 wife whom I love very much and 2 children who mean the world to me. I think you'll find that I think in story form and am a person of mental pictures, lol. So there you have it, a little on who I am.
3 comments:
I have also read this story in a Macleans magazine, and I think it would be rather difficult to live it to the letter, if we go by all 700+ rules. Now as for the ones that pick and choose what they wish... I wonder how many of the "cafeteria faith" believers are misidentified as that? Let me illustrate using hockey.
Pre-illustration disclaimer: By no means am I suggesting that the Christian walk can be measured by our own "accomplishments" or "acheivements".
As a young person develops the desire to play hockey, there are certain things they need to learn. The fundamentals! Skate. Stop. Pass. Shoot. Basic and reachable at any age. As they develop those skills they begin to learn more in each of those basic fundamentals. And as each passing year, and all the practices, and all the games, they hone their skills, getting bigger, better, faster, stronger. We teach them along the way. As they learn how to do one thing well, we add another. Always giving another reachable goal. If a first year hockey player was asked to play with the NHL, he wouldn't stand a chance, he/she just hasn't learned all the tools needed. Why do we sometimes expect all believers to have the same understanding of the bible, let alone of Christ Himself.
Now, having said that, there are many believers that I feel fail on the basic fundamentals of Christianity... I know, because I am one of them. I still go to practice, try to use what the "coach" is teaching me, in the practical world "the game" in hopes that when I get called to the big leagues... that I'll be ready!
Thanks for the email, I will be checking in on your journey. I am also a youth pastor on a journey.
I hope to view your blog often, but at the outset I'll say that I am happy to see you are still using Tolkien "stuff" to describe "stuff". I saw a book advertised under your links called "Youth Culture 101" or something to that effect. I am finding this culture fascinating but impossible to keep up with. Wouldn't that book be out of date the moment it's released? I just heard stuff from My Chemical Romance like a month ago and it turns out they've been huge for a year or two - what the heck? I thought I was cool? At least Senior Pastors can rely on a number of unchangeable factors in their congregations, but you my friend, have got a tough audience. God grant you mercy:)
Cory
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