There is an unintended irony in the many letters that cite different biblical texts to prove that their views are right, and others wrong, on issues ranging from homosexuality to entitlement programs.
Those letters, along with centuries of dispute over the true meaning of the Bible and which church has "got it right," demonstrate far better than any theological argument that the Bible is an ineffective and extraordinarily divisive vehicle for moral guidance when taken literally as the sole word of God.
This barrier to genuine spiritual growth occurs, of course, when absolutists argue for other belief systems, religious or secular.
Increasing numbers of Christian clergy, scholars, and lay people are seeking to live by the spirit of Christ rather than parsing Biblical passages. They are finding partners in interfaith dialogues with non-doctrinal Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Unitarians, and others.
A just society and a peaceful world will emerge as we relate to each other from a shared place of reflection and compassion, not through the quoting of privileged texts.
Charles Suhor
Montgomery