"Membership in the family of God is neither inconsequential or something to be casually ignored. The church is God's agenda for the world. Jesus said, "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The church is indestructable and will exist for eternity. It will outlive this universe, and so will your role in it."
- Rick Warren
Friday, April 16, 2010
"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree" - (Revelations 9:4) - As seen by me on an Earth Day T-Shirt.
"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." (Ecclesiastes 10:2) - Seen on a Tshirt at a website selling politically conservative stuff.
May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership. The text of Psalm 109:8 which appears on "Pray for Obama" Tshirts. That one was deliberate.
Then of course there is all those youth group shirts that use a Bible verse to parody some popular cultural trend...
And the over-used "Do not judge" that is quoted on on blogs on message boards anytime people start arguing about homosexuality.
I keep waiting to see an atheist Tshirt that says "There is no God" and cites: Deuteronomy 32:39, 2 Samuel 7:22, 1 Kings 8:23, 2 Kings 1:3, 2 Kings 1:6, 2 Kings 1:16, 2 Kings 5:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, 2 Chronicles 6:14, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 53:1, Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 45:5, Isaiah 45:21, 1 Corinthians 8:4! (And yes, all those verses do say "there is no God". I dare you to go check.
What are your favorite examples of out of context or otherwise misused Bible verses?
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Comments on "Out Of Context Bible Verses On T-Shirts Crack Me Up":
3. Roy
- 04/16/2010 6:19 pm CDT
1. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name" from Mt 18, used as support for any gathering of Christians, esp re small group meets, esp re prayer.
2. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" from Rev 3:20 used in evangelistic presentations and in support of invitation system.
4. Raindream
- 04/16/2010 9:16 pm CDT
I heard of a missions conference with a banner that read, "All this I will give you - Matt. 4:9." Do you remember the context of those words? Oh my soul.
5. G. Frederick
- 04/17/2010 1:51 am CDT
The one that bothers me the most because of personal reasons is when people (mostly those who are sold out to therapism) use the verse "love your neighbor as yourself" to "prove" that one needs to learn to love him/herself. There are so many more misused/misinterpreted by the therapism crowd that I could (maybe I should) write a book (novel length) about it. I about puked when I watched a video by Rob Bell that attempted to prove his prior conclusion that "one needs to believe in oneself because God does and believing in yourself is how you succeed in doing the great things in life" by recounting (in part not in whole) the incident of Peter walking on the water and then beginning to sink and Rob Bell stating unequivocally that the reason Peter began to sink was because he quit believing in himself even though Jesus never quit believing in Peter.
6. Bill
- 04/17/2010 9:18 am CDT
Roy: 1. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name" from Mt 18, used as support for any gathering of Christians, esp re small group meets, esp re prayer.
I understand the context of Matthew 18, but is this not a more general principle? Interested in your thoughts.
7. Alexandre Costa
- 04/17/2010 10:42 am CDT
I would LOVE it if an atheist used either Psalm 53 or Psalm 14 to say "there is no God"
8. Roy
- 04/17/2010 2:54 pm CDT
Bill,
by "I understand the context" I assume you recognize that the "two or three" refers to a courtroom with declarative authority at stake. This *specific* understanding squelched by the typical appeal to Mt 18's words. A warm and fuzzy can't we all get along replaces what God provides (nay, demands) as the means to deal with unrepentant sin.
Your point about "more general principle"? Sure. Not only does God never leave his people. He chooses especially to work with, in, and thru that people as they come to expression in the community we call "church". Lots of biblical warrant for this sort of understanding. Think of most of the NT: written as a manual for the church. God does, indeed, think the church important.
Ironically, exactly that understanding which the wrong appeal to Mt 18 conceals by hiding and ignoring (even tactitly rejecting) what the text actually says. Mt 18 makes the church very, very vital. Mt 18 forbids the usual practice of fleeing discipline. Mt 18 tells the mechanics, the nuts and bolts operations, of how a church body aids in the war against sin, the healing of sin's wounds, the battlefield first aid that brings about the restoration of spiritual health.
9. Bill
- 04/17/2010 4:12 pm CDT
Your point about "more general principle"? Sure. Not only does God never leave his people. He chooses especially to work with, in, and thru that people as they come to expression in the community we call "church".
Then we agree.
10. Bill
- 04/17/2010 7:33 pm CDT
I think "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" really needs to be read in context.
13. Manders
- 04/18/2010 4:35 pm CDT
You know that song "You Said" and the line "'Ask and I'll give
the nations to you'/Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart"? I think a lot of singers of that song forget that the verse alluded to here is about Jesus stomping on His enemies:
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, "You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron,
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Now, Jesus will rule the nations, whether by just judgment or by mercy. I'm not sure if that's what a lot of people have in mind...
14. III
- 04/19/2010 2:36 pm CDT
Well, Andrew, I'm not sure dunk contests can get a whole lot lamer than this past one. I think we've done hit an all-time low.
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I like this one:
When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean.--Lev 13:40