Fundamentalist Christians and others who take the Bible  literally are guilty of over exalting the value of words.  They usually become guilty of Biblicism which is worshipping the Bible instead of God.  And that is idolatry.

This idolatrous concern with the text, the words alone, often ignores the context.  Teachers of communication insist that nearly two thirds of what is communicated is by context and non-verbal messages.  Much of scripture is also communicated by context and what is written between the lines instead of just the actual words.  This is ascertained only by by listening to the scripture and hearing the stirrings of the Divine Spirit from it, from between the lines and from our unconscious.

Paul taught in Corinthians that the letter of the scripture alone kills but the Spirit of the scripture gives life.  Thus I Cor. 2:13 says, “We must teach not in the way philosophy is taught (words alone), but in the way the Spirit teaches us: we must teach spiritual things spiritually.”  Scripture’s purpose is transformation not primarily information.

Buddhism is growing in America in part because it is a religion of greater humility than current Christianity.  It does not feel that it has or has to have all the answers.  But wherein current Christianity over exalts words it is prone to arrogance thinking it has so many of the answers, unaware of what it does not know.

The great monotheistic religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism have always been prone to arrogance and intolerance because they have the words of faith.  This is one reason it is important to remember that the Word of God (the reson and speech of God) became flesh in Jesus the Christ.  In him the Word of God is expressed in compassion, power, warmth and flexiblity of The Spirit.  Thus the guidline for interpreting all saced words is the Spirit, the attitudes, warmth, compassion, insight, actions in their historical context, flexiblity of Jesus.  The Word made flesh is never rigid, static words that give us all the answers but transforming, uplifting power that warms and guides our heart in ways of humble goodnees.

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