This past sunday I had the pleasure of being in a discussion about a common topic in Bible Study.
Scratch that, it wasn't a discussion.
It started as if it was one, but then it ended up being something else.

I don't think a... "socratic" bible study is possible with a conservative leader.
I don't think anything is wrong with being conservative or bible studies that aren't "socratic".
Yet I will say that I don't believe that a conservative leader is capable of being a leader of a discussion-based bible study. Being conservative means being close-minded. It's not in conservative nature to explore other possiblities. It's in conservative nature to lecture in an attempt to influence others with their opinion. So yes, I feel as though discussion is an impossibility when it comes to things like bible study.

So my problem wasn't the fact that a discussion was taking place. The more I hear myself talk in a discussion the more I realize that I've become pretty liberal in the way I think and in the way I discuss issues. The problem I had was that while I was just throwing out a view to allow others to wrestle with, the other member in the discussion was asserting his stance as the correct one and tried to discredit any other possibilities.

I think that's unfair.
Not to me, because I couldn't care less. But to the other members in the group. Youth kids may need views and such spoonfed to them, but people in college and above are fully able to figure their own thing out. I obviously didn't go to seminary school, so I'm pretty sure I did a poor job on answering some questions, but my views and stances are not farfetched ideas. They're ideas taught in major denominations and major seminary schools. If I was a student from... I don't know... Fuller? I may have had been in a fair "fight".

I felt as if the conclusion of the discussion lead to something that sounded like... "whatever works for you", so I was happy... But then in the final prayer... more things basically saying how looking at things liberally is a dangerous slippery slope and such made me realize that nothing was accomplished.

So what did talk about?
Things like Corinthians about female leaders and the inerrancy the Bible.
I didn't even want to get involved in the discussion, but then when we were told what "camp" the leader was in and how the "other camp" is a camp that supports homosexuals and other things that are true in some instances but was spoken in a dangerous generalization, I jumped in.
My intention was to clear up that liberal thinking does not mean radical thinking. It is possible that the bible we read today was influenced by culture or lost in translation. I felt from then on I was thrown into defense, being asked to answer certain questions that I obviously can't provide adequate answers for. It made me seem like I was underestimating the power of God when it comes to the creation of the Bible. Which is a point that I can agree with, yet it feels like thinking like that is not overestimating God, but underestimating the power that Satan has.

You can argue Timothy 3:16, say that all is God-Breathed. God-breathed = inerrant? or God-breathed = God inspired?
You can argue a lot of things for both sides.
I could have mentioned things like...

How the bible that Jesus used in his time included a number of books that are not included in the bible today. (i.e. Apocraypha)

The selection of scriptures by PEOPLE. The gospel of JOHN was almost not included (for gnostic content) in the final cut as well as Revelations. Around Constantine time I think?

The bible contradicts itself. There's hundreds maybe thousands of instances where the bible says one thing and then later contradicts itself.

Symbolic vs. Literal wording.

Absolute vs. Relative truths.

Yet I didn't... cause it was obvious that my intentions of wanting to be able to introduce a concept that others may not have seen before to spark good healthy questioning was being trumped by an intention to teach a personal view.

I hope that the people there didn't just adopt one way of thinking just because of that discussion. In my personal experience, I've found that a long, educated (from the bible) wrestle with a topic yields a much stronger, rooted faith/belief than one that is spoonfed.

IMHO wanting "the answer" for the sake of being lazy or wanting to know without the trouble robs God of being able to change your life at a deeper level.
But I guess it does depend on where individuals are at in their lives. Not to say that I'm more "advanced" or whatever. But once you're able to find a truth that is God-rooted, Bible-rooted from wrestling with it, you won't know why it's so rewarding and why those who have gone through this want to share that EXPERIENCE rather than that ANSWER.

Cheers

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=701522391363

Not my favorite but Noomas always have a way to make you think.

:)