Forget the Crusades

Last updated on: February 23, 2015 at 5:21 pm by D. G. Hart

Forget the Crusades 2015-02-23T17:21:45-04:00 D. G. Hart

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What’s up with the Old Testament?

I’m still not up to the point in my year long encounter with the Bible, but Sunday school yesterday took me to a section of the Pentateuch that had my wife and me scratching our heads:

While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses. (Numbers 15:32-36 ESV)

You don’t even need the ESV’s handy subheading, “Sabbath Breaker Executed,” to wonder if with all the discussion of ISIS’ executions and President Obama’s references to the Crusades has neglected the Hebrew Scriptures.

Of course, Christians and Jews generally do not kill any more in the name of their religion anymore (though what Zionism does to the blessings of the modern nation-state and Israel’s position in the world order is another question). But if Christians and Jews do pay attention to their Bibles, they encounter texts like this one that remind them that the God of Abraham, Isaac, David, and Paul revealed himself in ways that that bear a resemblance to the Qur’an.

Is this an argument for moral equivalency or the beginnings of a position on what foreign policy should be regarding ISIS? No.

Is it, however, a warning that Christians and Jews may not want to get on their sanctified or kosher high horse about Islam? Yes.

(Image: Moses on Mt. Sinai)

Bible in American Life

Previous Post

February 18, 2015

Leveraging Martyrdom

Next Post

February 25, 2015 The Crusades for Baptists?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2016 Presidential Election 2020 Presidential Election Apocalypse Bible in American Life Biblical authority Books and culture Calvinism Church Life Civil Religion Culture Wars Doctrine evangelicalism Gullibility Heaven and Hell Intellectual life Jesus Ministry modernity moralism Nationalism New Testament Old Testament Otherworldiness Otherworldliness Paul Peter Piety Popular culture Protestantism Psalms Puritans Race Roman Catholicism sacred/secular distinction Sex Shameless Self Promotion Sports Ten Commandments U.S. politics Uncategorized vulgarity worship

Select a Month January 2022 October 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz