Reality is seeing and hearing what's there
The first time I remember the phenomenon, I listened to a lecture by a Baptist pastor named Al Robertson, one of my heroes.
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"Christianity is not an ethical religion," Robertson said in the lecture.
During the question period following the lecture one of the students said, "You said that Christianity is not only an ethical religion. Would you say more about that?"
Robertson began by saying he did not say that Christianity is not only an ethical religion. What I saw and heard was a student who knew Christianity is an ethical religion but was not able to heard Robertson say it was not.
I am now reading a book of sermons by Barbara Brown Taylor. She refers to a parable in which she says that Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like a pearl of great value.
Taylor even quotes the opening line of the parable. But if one were to read what the parable actually says rather than read what one expects the parable to say, one would immediately see that the parable clearly does not say that the kingdom of heaven is like a pearl of great value.
Those with access to a New Testament can look at Matthew 13:45-46 and see that the passage clearly says, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant" (NRSV).
Some readers are probably misled, because the previous passage, also a parable, does say that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. The parable about the treasure sounds a great message about the kingdom of heaven being worth giving our all to try to attain.
But the parable about the searching merchant also has a great message that should not be lost: The kingdom of heaven is willing to give its all for that which it values. That's the Gospel of Matthew's way of saying it.
The Gospel of John's way is "God so loved the world that he gave his only son" (John 3:16, NRSV).
I think it is the deep conviction that Christianity is an ethical religion that leads some readers to let the parable about the hidden treasure swallow up the parable about the searching merchant. We can find clues to what we really believe about the nature of Christianity by listening to how often the gospel, intended to be good news, is swallowed up by words like "must" and "should" and "have to" and "ought."
I have a hard time imagining how difficult it must have been to deal with the reality of what scripture truly says when people didn't have access to scripture. It appears that it is difficult now when we have such ready access.
I have heard sermons on Jesus saying that he would make his disciples fishers of human beings, sermons which assume that we hook people and reel them in. I wonder how much evangelism assumes that imagery even though it is clear that Jesus was speaking of enfolding persons in a net of inclusive welcome.
I have heard persons say, "Jesus was always a perfect gentleman." "Jesus never got angry." "Jesus was always patient." "Jesus respected everyone." "Jesus wasn't anything other than divine." "The God of the Old Testament is a God of judgment, but the God of the New Testament is a God of love."
I have seen believers slam a Bible shut when they found something that didn't fit their schemes. I have seen believers choose to hold a treasured doctrine even after seeing and understanding scripture refuting the doctrine.
I think that living and growing involves facing reality rather than letting our expectations and wants swallow up reality. One of our strongest capabilities is self-deception. Living and growing stems from honesty and struggling to know the truth, to study reality. There are no guarantees that we will get it right. That's why it is a good thing that Al Robertson was right: Christianity is not an ethical religion.
• Dan Wanders is the pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.