Keep on Bible-splaining

Don’t Bible-splain me, Jen Hatmaker warns. Don’t shame our family. We are throwing a party over her queerness.

These are the words of a Christian writer in 2020, after a podcast interview with her teenage daughter who has come out as gay.
This is the voice of a hard hearted, hard headed, unrepentant mother.

Hatmaker’s first published book dove into the whys and hows of Bible study, declaring the importance of God’s infallible Word.
God’s desire for us is to encounter His Word truth by truth until there isn’t a folded piece left, she writes (A Modern Girl’s Guide to Bible Study, 2006).

I wonder where she closed the good Book. I wonder what triggered her “faith evolution”. I wonder why her very enemy now is a person like me, doing exactly what she asked us to do in her Bible study books a decade and a half ago…encountering truth.

Matthew Paul Turner is another progressive Christian author. He announced a few days ago his intention to divorce his wife because he is gay and can no longer deny his gayness. Social media threw a party, blessing his un-coupling, applauding his identification as a gay man. Nevermind the heartache of his three children, the promise he made to his wife, the unraveling of a family. Nevermind what God says about the union of two souls–what God has hewn together, let no man separate.

If you have been on the fence about how to approach these modern messages, let me be clear: it’s not about gender equality and sex, like these modern prophets would like you to think. It isn’t about identity, being true to oneself.
Iit is a sign of the times. It is indicative of judgment.

In those days, men will be lovers of their own selves…boasting…proud…Without natural affection…despisers of those that are good…Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying its power.
2 Timothy 3:1-5

The thing is, fifteen years ago these messages would have been very influential to me, a young wife who was looking for any way possible out of a difficult marriage. I would’ve leaned hard into the idea that I needed to seek my own truth, celebrate my uniqueness, and free myself of matrimonial chains. I was depressed, directionless, and any rope tossed my way looked pretty appealing.

But the Word had already implanted in my heart. My despair was swallowed by a knowing sorrow–the absolute Truth that I would not be happier outside of His providence. I had to face the fact in my own life that ultimately, God was not going to give me what I wanted.

Truth hurts. In my case, it nearly crushed me. It was hard to believe. I let God believe it for me when I couldn’t. I told Him–my face buried in my pillow in the spare bedroom because I could not share a bed with my husband–that I didn’t see any way out, but I would do my best to trust Him. I would sign up for the pain if it meant He would lead me to holiness. 

Having conquered those times, having come out in every way a winner and in love with my husband and family, I can’t begin to explain how heartbreaking it is to watch the social influencers of the day lead people astray. The instant gratification of folks applauding from somewhere in the nebulous Twitter atmosphere almost rings sincere. But it is no more than a scratching of ears (2 Timothy 4:3).

I have a brother who is twenty-one. I have teenage nieces and nephews. I have children who haven’t reached adolescence. Truth must be handled, it must be rightly divided. It cannot wait.

Hatmaker and Turner, along with many, many others, mirror the false prophets of the Old Testament. They dole out haughty messages and then plug their ears.

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say. “Do not prophesy about these things; disgrace will not overtake us!” (Micah 2:6)

In other words, don’t Bible-splain me!

If a liar and deceiver comes and says, ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ he would be just the prophet for these people! (Micah 2:11)

We are throwing a party over her queerness! Hatmaker says.

Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.” (Micah 3:11)

They call themselves Christian authors and influencers.
It is a party on Twitter. False prophets, more than anyone else, think they are leaning on the Lord. Their mouths are wide open, applauding and assuring, blind and ignorant to their fate.

What is better?–is it to read truth and believe it, how God speaks it even when it hurts, to lean into the promise He will conquer your todays and tomorrows? For me, I can say yes. 

The Jen Hatmaker of fourteen years ago wrote that God wants us, more than anything, to encounter Him, truth by truth. I agree with that Jen. But truth doesn’t become the modern Mrs. Hatmaker:

If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die.
Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? (Ezekiel 18:24-25)

The guilty person will die, and all those who oppose His holy ways. The words from her mouth are dead, rotting words. The Truth about God–He is just.

And He is loving:

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, dealers the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:31-32)

He doesn’t take pleasure in judging, but the truth is, He will. Repenting is hard, but it leads to Life. He loves you, and because He loves you, you won’t always get exactly what you want (ask any parent of a four year old to explain how that works, exactly).

Folks, read your Bible. Let God change you, no matter how impossible it seems.
Keep on Bible-splaining.
People like me need to hear it.

For a time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3