Monday, September 27, 2010

Let it burn - Thoughts on a Masterpiece

The raucous engagement with a minister of illusion insistent on burning a book with religious value several weeks back flew low on my radar.  Safety of men securing my freedom hung some on it, but the freedom they fight to secure dangled as well.  What would a soldier truly bent on freedom for and in his country desire?

I don't know . . . and this is not where I am headed.

It is unclear the amount of books he wanted to burn or even the reason, as burning these books would ignite nothing but rage.  Drenched in gasoline, waves of fumes roll away from the pile, trying to escape the controversy it would create.  Important, doubt it.  Meaningless, not this far but close.  Do I care? No.  It is not my book.

But what if it was . . .

I stand confident on a collection of 66 books, all touched by a Hand and breathed through many writers over even more years.  What if some attention seeking clown decided his marshmallow should be roasted over a flame of Leviticus & Deuteronomy?  (If I'm honest, those two are tough and would probably be the first to go!)

The imagery of flames licking around the message of the only way to keep us from this separation is an odd one.  Orange and light blue mixed with some green from the leather, because that is what a Bible must be wrapped in to be complete.

It's just a book and pages, let it burn.

While the explanation of my salvation and description of why I live, or at least strive to, the way I do lie in these pages, they are just pages like any other book, it is just the explanation.  LET IT BURN!  I am not in this fight for some book, some collection of stories and pages, true or not.

I believe this book because historically (despite explanations designed to grasp attention from certain broadcasting agencies) it is proven, but so much more because through faith I am brought closer to the lover of whom it is written.  I believe it because it's true, and I love the God it displays not for what He does for me, but for who He is.

So ultimately, it's just a book, let it burn.  Let the flames eat away each word of written truth because if that truth is only written on pages and not on souls it is worthless.  A warming fire would be more comforting.

-Ordinary Warrior
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2 comments:

  1. i agree on the written on souls part...this guy did more to set back his message than forward it though...

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