More problems with meme theology

Many memes that are meant to be pithy, and maybe even inspirational, end up ignoring biblical theology in their efforts to make a point. I often refer to such statements as "bumper sticker theology." My Facebook friend Tony Belarmino calls the "Christian clichés and Pentecostal platitudes." They're those soundbites that are very tweetable or memorable, but because they're so brief (to make them easy to remember and repeat), they frequently are very surface-level, and end up failing to go deep enough to really get at the truth contained in Scripture.

One example is something I saw posted the other day quoting California megachurch pastor Bill Johnson:

The obvious implication here is that if you voice a complaint, then you're inviting Satan in.

It is certainly true that many times—especially during Israel's wandering in the wilderness—God takes them to task for complaining against Him and the leadership He had put in charge of guiding His people. Complaining for the sake of complaining, or getting one's own way, is definitely wrong, because it's manipulative, using the logic of the old adage that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Getting the metaphor wrong

I've seen this posted several times over the past week. And yes, I'm going on one of my pedantic flights of metaphoric correction here.

The tea bag is placed into the hot water, and the longer the bag is in the hot water, the more what is in the bag changes the water.

But the person being in the Word does not change the Scriptures (though there are plenty of people who try to alter and bend the Bible to match their own preconceptions and desires).

Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made Of

Last fall, I read a book by a Christian author on the subject of dream interpretation after seeing a lot of chatter on social media concerning the topic. My point in this post is not to call out a particular person, so I'm not going to name the book title or author. But I do feel that some of the assertions made in the book need to be addressed using biblical principles.

In the introduction, the author states that, while God definitely speaks our human languages, that it must really please Him when we make the effort to understand His "creative language of dreams." As someone who is fluent in Spanish as a second language, and has studied a bit of biblical Greek, I know a little about learning another language. Many people expect learning another language to be a simple matter of learning which word in the source language corresponds to which word in the target language, as though languages are just replacement ciphers. 

This misconception can lead to a lot of false starts and bad conclusions. Anyone who sets out to learn a second language quickly discovers that context is just as important as knowing a list. I've lost count of the times a native Spanish speaker has asked me, concerning an English word, "What does the _______ mean?" Probably 80% of the time, my immediate response is, "Can you tell me the sentence you saw it in?" because that one English word could have three or more Spanish equivalents, depending on the context in which it is being used. So, before we can think about learning the "dream language," we need to have an actual understanding of how languages work.

Misrepresenting Christ

I saw the following posted on Twitter (X) by SocialConserv. @bookkeepPLUS

I'm increasingly disheartened by the sheer volume of vile, disgusting posts I come across, only to check the bios and see phrases like "Christ is King," "Christian," "Reformed," and similar proclamations of faith. It's deeply troubling to witness such blatant carnality disguised under the banner of Christianity. These individuals claim to follow Christ, yet their actions and words betray a heart steeped in anger and hatred, done so under the guise of fighting for God. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, putting away the works of the flesh—anger, malice, slander—and embracing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, and peace. When you declare "Christ is King" but your actions and speech reflect anything but His love and humility, you misrepresent not only yourself but also the God you claim to serve. This behavior distorts the Gospel. The world is watching, and when those who claim to be followers of Christ act with such carnality, it feeds into the narrative that Christianity is hypocritical and irrelevant. We are called to be the light. Unfortunately, politicians like Donald Trump and other prominent figures in politics who claim to be Christians have given many Christians a perceived permission to act on their worst impulses, believing it's justified. It’s time for a serious heart check. If one truly believes that Christ is King, then one's life should reflect His teachings, not the basest instincts of the flesh. We represent a God of love, mercy, and grace. It’s not just about what you proclaim in your bio; it’s about how you live your life every single day. If your actions and/or speech don't align with the faith you profess, it's time to rethink how you’re representing Christ to the world.

Like one of my pastors once said to the congregation, "If you're cutting people off in traffic, or yelling at people and making hand gestures when you get cut off, please don't put our church's bumper sticker on your car."