Serrated Edge II

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Douglas Wilson has said, that at times, it was like falling down a flight of stairs and hitting your head on each step as he learned and came to a place of understanding about different topics of our faith, especially those areas that were contrary to what he had understood. He started with a 70’s Jesus people kind of fellowship, with all the normal evangelical understandings and baggage.

He also noted that one time when God revealed something to him it was like “wwhhheeeeeee! Lets do it again daddy! As he left one understanding and moved into a correct one.

Last night I read the second chapter of “A Serrated edge” Wilsons book , defending biblical satire and ridicule. If I had paid $50 for this small book I would’ve called it worth it, for this one chapter. 8 pages? If the entire 120 pges of the book delivered just the understanding , all of the nuggets that were falling out all over the place from this one chapter, I would’ve raived about it. I thank God for giving Wilson the ability to understand, and then be able to communicate such a complex topic in such a understandable manner. That too was a separate part of my fun, to even think that he explained what he did, in that small amount of space.

I read the chapter twice and as I laid down to go to sleep, just a ton of issues, between Christian, non Christian and Christian and Christians came flooding by. I wanted to get up and grab the yellow pad and take some notes but was too tired and just laid there grinning. …..”lets do it again daddy!” is right.

The chapter is called “the meaning of arrogance”
Pg23 …” We see the same thing in the conflict between Biblical and Modern theories of preaching. The biblical preacher is a herald, a steward. He has been entrusted to declare something that would have been true if he had never been born. He is to preach it with a strong view of his own ultimate irrelevance . He is to get into the pulpit and say “Thus says the Lord….” And to the modern world this is insufferable arrogance.

In stark contrast with this, the modern pretty boy preacher- excuse me , a pretty boy communicator- gets up front and can talk about himself the entire time he is there. He is open, transparent, honest, and emotionally approachable. He is humble, or so it is thought. The evidence? He is humble because he has talked about himself a lot. And the other one, the insufferable one, he must think he has a personal pipeline to God. He must think that God wrote a book or something….wait.”

For pastors, elders this one chapter will help you to gird up your loins and understand why people react as they do. For anyone else you will see with a different light what is happening around you in theculture, the news, your families and even our emails.

We are loaded down with things that have come from our culture, and are at war with our Fathers Word. We will find ourselves standing with those who opposed Jesus saying “by what authority do you do these things?” Or as Doug pointed out, today its.... “who do you think you are” and “who died and left you king”

7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Prov 4:7 (NKJV)

There is no neutral ground, even how we listen, how we look at anything, comes from a theological position. Its unavoidable.

If you have it all figured out, don’t worry about it. If you are thirsty for more understanding, see if this book is collecting dust on your shelf and put it on your short list.