Where Should Christians Get Their Values?
What in life do you feel is important? How do you determine what is right or wrong? How do you know where to put your energy? All of these questions are shaped in part by our values.
What does this look like for Christians?
You will find that different Christians do have different values. This happens within the same nation and even within the same denomination.
You will find some Christians who see the most important thing as being to defend the traditional family and others who see the most important thing is to defend the rights of marginalized people.
Where do people get their values?
The truth is, even if we are in denial of it, that our values are shaped by many different sources. This includes our family of origin, ethnic background, political allegiances, education, religion, media consumption, and many other influences.
I know that there are Christians that claim that their values are only shaped by the Bible. I appreciate the sentiment but asserting something does not make it so. We should be aware of these influences and consider how we want to respond to those influences.
But what about Christians and getting our values from the Bible?
I would say that the Bible is the greatest influence on my values but there are a couple of things that we need to keep aware of. It is not as simple as grabbing a Bible and saying, “Here are my values.”
One of the complications is that we all interpret the Bible and not all of our interpretations are the same. The classic example is South Africa, where there were churches who saw biblical support for apartheid and others that saw biblical condemnation for apartheid.
I am not saying that it is hopeless to understand the Bible, but we are always interpreting and we are never assured that our interpretation is correct. There is a reason why some Christians see social justice as essential to Christianity and others who see social justice as contrary to Christianity.
The other problem is about what parts of the Bible we prioritize. Values that are primarily formed by study of the Pentateuch might look different from values primarily shaped by the Gospels.
I realize that this is dangerous territory. There are Christians who believe that the Bible is our foundation and every part of it in equal measure. While I see all of the Bible as Scripture that can benefit us, I do see the source of Christian values as requiring some careful reflection.
I firmly believe, and this is one of my strongest convictions, that Christian values should have as their strongest influence, the teachings of Jesus.
I am not suggesting that we only read the “red letters” and ignore the rest of the Bible. All of it is important (I’m currently reading Genesis in my devotions).
Having said that, followers of Jesus should follow Jesus. That should not be controversial. As cheesy as the WWJD campaign was from decades back, there is truth to the consideration of What Would Jesus Do.
Our guiding force in the development of our values should not be whether we can find a Bible verse to support it but if it is consistent with the life and teachings of Jesus. Again, I am not suggesting that the rest of the Bible or even the other influences I have mentioned should not be a factor. But Jesus gets top spot.
The final question is this. Does the Church today reflect values that are consistent with what we see of Jesus in the Gospels? What do you think?
