The Bible is a compost heap.....

[Grazer]

....I like this analogy;

The Bible is the compost pile that provides material for new life. I do not use this figure as an irreverent metaphor to suggest that the Bible is “garbage.†Rather, I use it to suggest that the Bible itself is not the actual place of new growth. Our present life, when we undertake new growth, is often inadequate, arid, or even barren. It needs to be enriched, and for that enrichment, we go back to the deposits of old growth that have been discarded, but that continue to ferment and may contain resources for a way to new life.

I like his analogy that the Bible is not a cookbook;

By contrast, an unhelpful metaphor is a cookbook.

Read the Bible carefully, being sure to follow the directions, and out will pop a good, orthodox Christian with his or her act together. If something went wrong–if you have wrong doctrine or do bad things–you’re not following the directions carefully enough. Go back and try it again

I’ve found the Bible doesn’t work very well as a cookbook. Sooner or later you wind up sifting through the Bible to pick the ingredients that strike you and ignore other ingredients that don’t taste very well what you are trying to cook up. Plus the Bible is long, complicated, and a most of it looks like you’re reading a novel, not a cookbook.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peterenns/2012/12/the-bible-is-a-smelly-gross-pile-of-rotting-garbage/

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The suggestion that the Bible is a compost heap is itself a compost heap.

The Bible is not fermenting 'old growth that has been discarded'. It is no more that than buried treasure is discarded garbage.

 

[reba]

Amen Jethro

 

[Grazer]

I think the compost heap analogy works. The Bible was finally put together 1700 years ago but whilst it is very old and the cultures have been left behind, it still contains elements needed for growth

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I think the compost heap analogy works. The Bible was finally put together 1700 years ago but whilst it is very old and the cultures have been left behind, it still contains elements needed for growth

What will you be eating for Dinner tomorrow, fermenting garbage? Don't be surprised if I decline any invitation you might extend to me to eat with you and your family for Christmas.

The 'garbage' from which new life springs from is the trash heap of your sinful life burned up on the altar of God by the fire of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is the nourishment that feeds that new life.

The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance (discarded table scraps?) at the proper time? Luke 12:42 NIV1984

14 But solid food (fermenting garbage?) is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14 NIV1984

Like newborn babies, crave pure (spoiled?) spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... 1 Peter 2:2 NIV1984

Sorry, but I refuse to entertain an analogy about the Bible being a dung heap of spoiled garbage that believers feed from and are nourished by. Ain't gonna do it.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

I don't think Grazer meant any disrespect with that. More along the lines of being illustrative of a point.

That's probably true, but it's a very, very bad, non-Biblical analogy.

Even the Word of God in Jesus' analogy of the pigs rooting in the soil of the earth is still illustrated as being precious pearls, not garbage. If it were garbage the pigs would have ate it up. Pigs and dogs with their snouts dug into the things of the world, not the transformed people of God, eat garbage. Over and over again the Word of God is portrayed as something very, very valuable like gold and silver, not something rotting and putrid and unappreciated for that reason.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Amen Jethro

Hi sis.

Just waiting for Santa to get here. How 'bout you?

 

[Grazer]

Jethro, that's fine, you're entitled to your views. But I like the analogy, I think it works overall and has given me something to think about especially the cookbook analogy. If God can take something dirty and use it for good, why can't we?

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[Jethro Bodine]

Jethro, that's fine, you're entitled to your views. But I like the analogy, I think it works overall and has given me something to think about especially the cookbook analogy. If God can take something dirty and use it for good, why can't we?

Because the Bible is not dirty. Use something that really is dirty to illustrate good from bad.

As far as the cooking analogy...just because there are bad cooks doesn't mean the recipe is flawed.

 

[Grazer]

Because the Bible is not dirty. Use something that really is dirty to illustrate good from bad.

As far as the cooking analogy...just because there are bad cooks doesn't mean the recipe is flawed.

I was referring to the analogy. As for the cooking one, its more a reflection on how the bible is used and I agree with the analogy by and large.

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[Jethro Bodine]

I was referring to the analogy. As for the cooking one, its more a reflection on how the bible is used and I agree with the analogy by and large.

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What the author is describing in his analogy of the compost heap is more accurately understood as the manure of our old life, not the Word of God. Often the rot of the old life we have discarded provides the fertile ground in which the nourishment of the Word of God can take root and grow new life.

And properly trained and equipped cooks don't view the recipe of the Word of God as the author you quote does. Good cooks don't criticize the recipe just because they mess it up, or don't have the training and equipment to properly do what it says.

I say let's just stay with the analogies the Bible itself uses.

 

[Grazer]

What the author is describing in his analogy of the compost heap is more accurately understood as the manure of our old life, not the Word of God. Often the rot of the old life we have discarded provides the fertile ground in which the nourishment of the Word of God can take root and grow new life.

And properly trained and equipped cooks don't view the recipe of the Word of God as the author you quote does. Good cooks don't criticize the recipe just because they mess it up, or don't have the training and equipment to properly do what it says.

I say let's just stay with the analogies the Bible itself uses.

More understood by you but I suspect you don't understand the analogy/point the author is making. I'm not sure I do fully but its got me thinking. That or you can't look beyond the word compost.

As for the cooking, I get what you're saying but how many times have you heard a Christian say " you're a sinner cos you havent read the bible right" or " your theology is blasphemy because you haven't read the bible right" The bible is complex, non linear, fascinating. I don't get why many treat it like a cook book or a simple book of laws. It goes far far beyond that and that's why I find these analogies interesting and worth exploring further. You think God is against a bit of thinking that's come in on a tangent?

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[wayseer]

Jethro is making very good points.

Grazer is likewise making good points. We are all manure in the sight of God.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Grazer is likewise making good points. We are all manure in the sight of God.

But the analogy says the BIBLE is like manure, not us.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Sooner or later you wind up sifting through the Bible to pick the ingredients that strike you and ignore other ingredients that don’t taste very well what you are trying to cook up. Plus the Bible is long, complicated, and a most of it looks like you’re reading a novel, not a cookbook.[/I]

I don't believe a genuine, Spirit-filled, devout follower of Christ would say this. That's why it also is NOT a good analogy to learn from. This to me represents a lot of the garbage thinking that has consumed the church in these latter days. It represents the leaven that the Bible itself says will invariably work it's way through the whole batch of dough. In our day and time we see that leaven has progressed pretty far through the whole.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

The bible is complex, non linear, fascinating. I don't get why many treat it like a cook book or a simple book of laws. It goes far far beyond that and that's why I find these analogies interesting and worth exploring further. You think God is against a bit of thinking that's come in on a tangent?

The danger is in being persuaded by these analogies to think the Bible really is manure and/or the Bible really is so hard to read and understand and follow that we have no choice but to make our own version of the original recipe. I'm convinced no sincere, true believer would agree with either one.

It's not unexpected that even sincere Christians are going to get the recipe wrong sometimes. What's wrong is deciding that's okay and settling for the wrong recipe.

 

[for_his_glory]

Without the beauty, history and culture of the OT we could never move on to the NT without knowing that of the past as it is the past that has paved the way for the future. That of a compost pile is only that of the rotted fermenting material that stinks as it piles higher and higher and eventually used as fertilizer to bring new life to that which you are growing and I would not use such an analogy as saying the Bible is fertilizer to bring us to that Spiritual rebirth as fertilizer rots away into the ground, but the word of God stands true today as when God first spoke it. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and will never leave us or forsake us as in rotting away.

 

[Grazer]

The danger is in being persuaded by these analogies to think the Bible really is manure and/or the Bible really is so hard to read and understand and follow that we have no choice but to make our own version of the original recipe. I'm convinced no sincere, true believer would agree with either one.

It's not unexpected that even sincere Christians are going to get the recipe wrong sometimes. What's wrong is deciding that's okay and settling for the wrong recipe.

That is a danger but that still doesn't make exploring these analogies wrong. They're not perfect analogies but I've found them interesting and flipping ones perspective can be a great thing to do, to go beyond the obvious. Without wishing to be rude, yes it does require some thought and that scares some people but God gave us a mind to think, I highly doubt he wants it to lay idle.

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[Paul1965]

I look at the analogies Grazer has quoted this way

Someone owns a bible but never picks it up. It sits in the corner gathering dust, with insects chewing at it's unused pages. The acids in the ink break down the paper it is printed on. The paper deteriorates further and becomes brittle. The bindings start to perish. In essence the whole Tome is rotting away. (paper by it's very nature ie: coming from wood pulp does in fact break down into compost).
Then one day through crisis, enlightenment or a sense of need, the owner gingerly picks up this rotting copy of His word. He /she reads it and becomes filled with repentance,the Holy spiritis now at work within them. They open their heart to Jesus and transformtheir life. They are nowborn again asoneofHis children.
So out of the rotting detritus of life and a rotting copy of His word, new life comes.

The cookbook analogy is similar.
We are blessed with the written Word of God. It's a guide to life eternal.It gives the recipe for living a righteous life,pleasing to God. It was created by our "Master Chef" with wisdom beyond our comprehension. Unfortunately, some "sous chefs" mis-interpret, or deliberately corrupt the recipe to suit their own agendas and goals. a bit like substituting chicken liver for goose liver Beluga caviar for catfish roe. Looks ok but the end result isn't so great. It's only after trial and error, that the sous chef goes back to the masters recipe. He reads the recipe and follows it exactly this time. No corruption and no misinterpretation. Maybe he'll even have the nerve to ask the Master for guidance in following the recipe. Finally when his life is "cooked" exactly as the recipe stated, it is a taste to be savoured.

Just for the record,

I'm convinced no sincere, true believer would agree with either one.

calling another's faith into question, is not only demeaning to them and yourself, it shows a lack of compassion to others who may be early in their walk or trying to get a handle on His precious word.
Just my two bobs worth
Blessings to you all and wishing you a wonderful and safe celebration of our blessed saviour Jesus' birth.

 

[Grazer]

Some interesting thoughts Paul, thank you. On the cookbook analogy, I think the author is saying the bible is not like that and shouldn't be treated as one. Were not going to become good Christians simply by following the recipe

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