Uncompromising truths …

Christian Century, Nov 2, 2004 by Bill Forbes

I APPRECIATE Barbara Brown Taylor's "Faith matters" columns, but after reading her article "Teaching contempt" (Aug. 24), I was wondering at just what point faith really began to matter to her. Her compassion and spirit of inclusiveness are evident in her writings, but her implication seemed to be that the gospel, as recorded in scripture, is necessarily anti-Jewish. I agree with her that it can, and has, been preached that way, but I am not sure that Christ can be faithfully preached without his claim of authority over our lives offending every one of us in some way. I make every effort not to "worship my own readings" of scripture, but I also make every effort to not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

Preaching the gospel in an anti-Jewish spirit is the folly of narrow-mindedness and ignorance of the Spirit of Christ himself, who received all who would come to him in faith. However, the folly of the heavily scholarly environment is becoming so distracted or enchanted by the processes of historical-biblical criticism that the gospel is robbed of its teeth, and its Christ, to use Luther's words, is "turned into a man of straw." Apologetics was once the defense of the gospel. Today it seems that we have been reduced to mere apology.

Bill Forbes

Presbyterian Church,

Delta, Colo.