Culture Shock

Do you remember Curious George? In most books, Curious George "was a good little monkey and always very curious”. But in at least one of the books, we are told that "George was a good little monkey BUT he was always curious." (emphasis mine) Maybe I'm exercising my exegetical skills too much as I read to our youngest child. But these two opening passges are conveying two different things, aren't they? In version one, being "good" and being curious are compatible. In the second, the two characteristics are contrasted.  Is it bad to be curious? I would suggest it's not. In fact, it's a very important characteristic of disciples of Jesus Christ.  Take Matthew 13 for example. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus is teaching the multitudes. His twelve are there to hear the parable of the sower. In verse 10, they pull Jesus aside and show their curiosity: "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Jesus gives them a long answer then offers a ...

Why did I just read that book? Job was the last Old Testament book I read during my reading of the Bible last year. And this was the first time that I listened to it being read.  By the end, I couldn’t help but ask the question “Why did I just read that?” For those who are unfamiliar with Job, the majority of the book is dialogue written in  dense Hebrew poetry . Yes, there’s a story with a beginning and an end, but the narrative predominantly serves to set up the dialogue. And here’s where my question comes in. At the end of the book, God makes it clear that three of the characters who talked with Job did so wrongly: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right…” (42:7) I’m not going to go back and count all the chapters in which there were “not right” things spoken about God, but it’s a large portion of the book. In fact, not only...