Scripture Twisting

On April 14 President Obama, in a speech at Georgetown University, used--i.e., misused, abused--the Bible in an effort to promote his economic plans:

Now, there's a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells the story of two men. The first built his house on a pile of sand, and it was soon destroyed when a storm hit. But the second is known as the wise man, for when "the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock."

It was founded upon a rock. We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock. We must lay a new foundation for growth and prosperity -- a foundation that will move us from an era of borrow and spend to one where we save and invest; where we consume less at home and send more exports abroad.

I suppose there's a kind of conventional wisdom that says, "Lot's of people view the Bible positively, so why not borrow some Bible-talk to add a little credibility to my message?" But the result, in so many cases, is a brazen disregard for the word of God and for God himself.

A reading of Matthew 7:24-27 reveals this: the one who builds his house upon the rock is the person who hears what Jesus teaches and obeys it. The whole point of the parable is to exhort listeners/readers to hear and obey Jesus Christ. Founding your life upon the rock means trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

But, alas, a little ripping of the text out of context, and you can (mis)use the Bible to make it say anything.

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