In politics, religion, and everyday life, it is so easy to misunderstand something by applying the wrong context.
We live today in a world that defines events by sound bites, short YouTube videos, and quick superlative statements generally taken out of context. We then use these short information bites in order to prove a point that was never there to start with. It is sad, but this is today’s reality. Whether it is the Bible or the American Constitution, we all read the same words but understand them differently. Only one Bible was given, yet it is understood and translated many different ways. Only one American Constitution was given but till this day people argue over the meaning of some its statements. Why? Because we each read it from a different context. Even the idea of reading these things contextually is debated. We are the recipients of the decisions of those who came before us. Before either endorsing or undoing these decisions, we need to understand what spurred them. We need to understand their history, not within our own but within their own context, according to their own merit. Only then will we be able to draw proper judgement and application. Here is a little riddle to make the point. A man left home running. He ran a little bit then turned left. After running some more, he again turned left. He continued running turning left again back home where 2 masked men waited for him. WHO ARE THE MASKED MEN? You can guess the answer replying to this email. Answer coming next week.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
If you appreciate these articles, support their upcoming publication in a book called, "REFLECTIONS OF A FIRE CHAPLAIN"
|