Agnosticism is a growing movement in the United States. At least, vocal agnosticism is. I have a couple of friends with whom I used to attend church who are now agnostics. One of the most vocal of the new agnostics is Frank Schaeffer. Schaeffer formerly was a visible member of the evangelical community. In a recent article at The Huffington Post, Schaeffer writes about what he considers “the scariest verse in the Bible.” Which verse do you think would top his list of the most offensive verses in the Bible?
Before I tell you which verse, read some of his other statements. These statements reveal how far from the evangelical church he has moved:
- A lot of the Bible is hate-filled blasphemy.
- Every vile verse.
- Openly reject the parts of one’s scriptures outright that fly in the face of fact, compassion and decency.
- Maybe the actual God doesn’t like — or accept — “The God-Of-The-Bible” any more than rational and compassionate people do. I hope that’s true.
So which verse scares Schaeffer the most? Here it is:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
(2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)
For evangelicals, every verse of Scripture is from God and profits us. For Schaeffer and the agnostics, if they accept any of the Bible, it is only the parts of which fits with a higher standard. What is that higher standard? It would be the mind and the ethics derived from that mind.
As a Christian, the mind is not to be dismissed. Some do this far too easily. We must remember these things when it comes to the mind. First, we are to love the Lord with all of our minds. Our minds are to be captive to the Word of God. However, we must always be aware that our minds are not infallible judges. The mind has been corrupted by sin. This is why we are to use our minds and vigorously work to have it sharpened by the only infallible source – the Bible.
