Back in the summer of 1984 my dad was in Albany Georgia for a week or so with work. He decided to go to a movie and wanted to see Red Dawn, the thriller about a joint Soviet/Cuban invasion of the U. S. mainland, and the resistance mounted by high school students (Wolverines!!). He mistakenly bought a ticket to Purple Rain, the movie the Artist Formerly and Currently Known as Prince made which was loosely (really loosely) based on his rise to fame. Purple Rain was populated by young people in the Midwest. It had a two word title containing a color and a feature of climate. He was sure he was at the right movie. So he kept sitting there - expecting the Soviets to invade. The fact that the movie was clearly the story of a funky, shrimpy, purple pop singer did not deter him – until the credits rolled. Then he knew he’d been robbed of two hours and five dollars. I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever heard when he told me about it. He didn’t see the humor in it and wanted his five dollars back.
Years later, in St. Clairsville, Ohio, when I was filling my first pulpit, I was often reminded of my Dad’s experience when I would go do home Bible studies – especially with Roman Catholics. I would ask if the person with whom I was studying had a Bible. They always said yes. Most of the time, what they would bring to the table was a prayer book, or a catechism – not a Bible. Although I quickly got into the habit of bringing extra Bibles with me, I never got used to someone not knowing the difference between a Bible and a prayer book.
I mentioned this to a friend of mine in the area who was a Roman Catholic Priest. After much discussion between us he said to me, “Now Barry…if this devolves into a question of book, chapter, and verse you know I’m going to lose that argument.” What does one say to such a statement? My response was “Did you hear what you just said?”
Upon reflection, I realized that we were, at times, little better - so many of the “Bible Classes” I had attended over the years hadn’t studied much of the Bible. There were the “how to” books (how to rekindle your spiritual passion, how to identify your spiritual gifts, how to answer your denominational neighbors), the 10 Steps To….books (10 steps to a stronger marriage, 10 steps to maximizing your spiritual potential, 10 steps to a thinner holier you), and the polemical books (Skimpy Skirts and Hippy Hair, Romanism Unmasked, A Preacher Looks at Communism, are all titles I remember). These classes could be instructive, even inspiring, but they were not Bible classes.
So who has made the bigger mistake – the person who accidentally watches Purple Rain, or the person who knows they’re in the wrong theater, and doesn’t bother to get up and change. Some have never been exposed to the Bible, and some of us have – yet pursue other study.
Don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying we should never use topical books in our classes. I am saying they should supplement, enhance, and enrich our knowledge of the Bible – not replace it. If our ratio of Bible study to all other study is not at least 1:1 I believe a course correction is in order. Studying about the Bible is not the same thing as studying the Bible.
The Bible says that at the end we will be judged by our deeds (I Peter 1.17), according to what is written in the open books (Revelation 20.12-13). When these credits roll will we have spent our life in the right theater?
