David Van Biema recently wrote about how two radically different Christian causes have used Psalm 139:
- Starting in the 1970s anti-abortionist evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics began using the text to suggest that God’s involvement makes abortion unthinkable, and
- Starting in the 1990s gay and lesbian liberal Christians began using the text to suggest God’s foreknowledge and acceptance.
So What?
While the Bible has long been used to defend both sides of an issue, I cannot think of another chapter that has been used in my lifetime to support such radically different causes.
- How does your view of the Bible influence your feelings about these two uses of Psalm 139?
- When interpreting the Bible what guidelines do you find most helpful for ensuring you seek to understand what the text says or can mean rather than what you would like it to mean?