May 23: An Argument from Scripture

I’ve been thinking about my personal Biblical basis for my political beliefs. I want to meet the people co-opting a Bible I don’t recognise on their own terms.

There are many choices, but maybe 4 are key for me:

1) Genesis 1:
a. Earth is not a vale of tears to be endured. God made it and saw that it was good, not just once, but throughout His work. If the earth is a place of trial, we make it so, and we can/should/must do better.
b. Man and Woman are made together, in the same way, from the same Divine creative act. We are both equal and a pair. We must also recognise the Divine within each of us, for we are made in God’s image. The call to Social Justice starts here.
c. “Dominion” in English, but Hebrew word may be “yarad” (to humble oneself) not “radah” (to rule/subdue). St Francis of Assisi is the model. We are part of creation and must steward and respect it. Clean Air Acts; National Parks; Sustainable Development start here.
d. Vegetarianism! (actually, Veganism, but I’ve never been able to live healthy without non-lethal animal protein, so I have compromised)

2) The Story of David (& Bathsheba):
a. David was God’s anointed as a young man, humble, then valiant, serving his country/king loyally. He moved Israel forward, unifying and strengthening them.
b. Then came his lust, acted upon through an abuse of power; the attempted cover-up; another abuse of power. A noble and principled man was murdered.
c. A child died. David is forbidden from building the Temple. Israel spent another generation without the Temple because of David’s corruption.
d. This is how the powerful should NOT behave. Those who say David was God’s instrument: (chosen, though flawed), fail to acknowledge the 2 parts of David’s story and justify behaviour God found defiling. God’s love remained. His favour had gone.
e. An aside: David’s intense love for Jonathan had no negative impact on God’s love and support for him.

3) Acts 5 (Builds on my expectations for public authority (commercial and political):
a. A husband and wife seek to cheat the system to accumulate personal wealth. They cheat on their taxes and tithes. They lie in the public square. They are struck down.
b. Integrity, honesty, proper support of your community are the values highlighted as Christian through this story.

4) Matthew 25:
a. 5 Foolish/5 Wise Bridesmaids: preparation, self-reliance, but also the importance of teaching problem-solving, strong education in general. Mindful too of the difference between “foolishness”, and of being without oil because you are too poor to buy any (see below).
b. Talents: create space for courage, expect diligence, offer opportunity, reward hard work and risk.
c. Judgment: Social justice itemised here AND, Jesus is EXPLICIT that those you are supposed to help don’t look like Him (or even like you)
d. 3 parables: 2 about personal responsibility, crowned with community.

And, of course, the Lineage of Christ (Matthew 1)