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Dear Friend of Minute Message,
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www.minutemessage.net and sign up. Thanks!) ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
(Note:This article is not a political statement.)
While sitting in a Doctor’s waiting room, I picked up the November 2005 issue of the Ladies Home Journal magazine. (Now don’t break your lip laughing – the magazine selection was pretty slim.) Thumbing through the pages I came across an interesting article which featured an interview with former President, Bill Clinton.
I must confess that I don’t usually read anything which features Mr. Clinton. But, I thought I’d give this article a chance to enlighten me as to the substance of the man.
My eyes meandered up and down the pages as the interviewer questioned and Mr. Clinton answered. The subjects ranged from weight problems to marriage; from Chelsea to the war on terrorism. Mostly … it wasn’t too bad.
Then I came to the section in which Mr. Clinton pontificated on religion in the work place. Whew!! No wonder this man’s moral compass and sense of right and wrong is so skewed. (Remember, this is the fellow who argued the meaning of - "is"!)
The following paragraph is one of the statements that simply made me sit straight up in my chair. His misapplication of the Apostle Paul is striking! In his argument for love and charity he deftly implies (NO, he said this!) that Paul was espousing his confusion or lack of understanding concerning absolute truth.
Here’s what Paul wrote:
(1 Corinthians 13:1-13 KJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Here’s how Mr. Clinton interprets Paul:
“So I think people should carry their faith and their values into politics, but there needs to be enough humility to know, just as St. Paul said, you are not in possession of the absolute truth. I don't care if you're a liberal Democrat or a conservative Republican. I don't care if you're a Muslim, Christian, or Jew. Or Baha'i, Hindu, or Buddhist. You are not in possession of the absolute truth. You see through a glass darkly. You know it in part. That means that you might be wrong. Once you recognize that you might be wrong, you can deal with anybody, work out anything and go forward, even as you fight hard for what you believe is right. It's the single most important lesson for democratic societies in a time of resurgent religiosity.” (emphasis mine)
As anyone can clearly see, Paul was defending the high level which love must have in our lives. He is writing so we can understand that everything but love will pass away – it is preeminent.
Now, to stretch what Paul said about LOVE to mean we have no absolute truth is a clear example of religious ignorance. God is absolute! Jesus is absolute! Heaven is absolute! Hell is absolute!! Sin is absolute! Salvation is absolute! The Bible is absolute. To say otherwise is to be “absolute”-ly wrong!
Mr. Clinton’s view of Christianity, as it relates to absolute truth, makes Christianity no different than any other religion. In fact, his viewpoint makes it worse because it takes the absoluteness which permeates the Old and New Testaments and makes it fraudulent.
I suppose it could be argued that Mr. Clinton was just speaking about the political involvement of religion and he merely meant that religion does not cover all of the vagaries of political life. I suppose he’s right – if you mean religion. However, if he means Christianity, than he’s wrong. Biblical truth is absolute and can be applied to every aspect of human life. The problem with Mr. Clinton, and others, is that they don’t want to apply Biblical truth. It’s too rigid … or, dare I say, ABSOLUTE!!
I pray you are blessed today.
In Christ's love and life,
Roland Scroggins
©2005
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