Monday, August 18, 2008

comma

The sign says, Don't place a period where God has placed a comma...God is still speaking.
It's on the front of the UCC House at Chautauqua.
The UCC is a denomination that believes that God did not stop speaking to humanity when the Bible was finished being written. The same Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the Scriptures is the Holy Spirit that keeps interpreting those Scriptures by updating our understanding of them. For example, slavery; and womens' rights; etc.
My denomination (PCUSA) didn't use to ordain women; now we do. Our understanding of the Bible changes over time. We too believe that God still speaks. In our polity, God speaks through the session, the presbytery, the synod, and the General Assembly. And God speaks through preachers of the Word. Of course, either God is contradicting himself through different preachers or some preachers have a hearing problem. I'm sure I couldn't be one of those.
Some denominations believe in the 'comma.' Others are in a coma.