I recently read Barack Obama’s Audacity of Hope. If he is half as good a president as he is a writer then we are in good hands. I was intrigued by his use of metaphors as he described the Constitution of the United States. He offered two ways of seeing the Constitution. One way to see the Constitution is to see it as a blueprint. The blueprint metaphor suggests that the Constitution sets forth clear instructions on how to build a democracy and if we simply follow the plan we will succeed. Another way to see the Constitution is to see it as a conversation. This metaphor is an invitation to dialogue about how to promote, protect, and insure our most cherished rights and values.
These same metaphors can be applied to Scripture. There are some who see Scripture as a blueprint, an instruction manual that tells us how to live. If we follow the manual carefully we will know the fullness of life. I suppose there is some truth in this view. However, I have come to see Scripture much like Obama sees the Constitution, as an invitation to a conversation about all that matters most. The blueprint metaphor reduces Scripture to a kind of moralistic exercise that I find increasingly toxic and counterproductive. The conversation metaphor invites, calls, and opens up dialogue. It makes the Scripture interesting again. It not only gives room for the voice of God but it makes room for our voice as well. It seems that God is not nearly as interested in talking to us as he is in talking with us.
I am learning to see God’s Word as an invitation to a life long conversation about all that matters most.
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Kris Rocke
Serves as director of Center for Transforming Mission
Bumps into Reality by accident, most of the time
Heard God laugh once
