Have you noticed that the more thoroughly convinced someone
is that his scripture is literally true, the inspired and infallible and
exclusive word of God, the more tolerant he is of force and hate? The more a person
believes God breathed the truth and only the truth into every syllable of his word,
the more he advances mere obedience as the path to salvation. The more he fears “subjectivity,”
or “misinterpretation,” the more like a dictator he becomes. He’s petrified
of mistakes. But mistakes make us human; mistakes make progress. He’s afraid of
displeasing God by using his own limited perspective. God gave him his own
unique perspective for the purpose of seeing God uniquely. He buries his talent
out of fear. He misses in his zealotry for the word the very message of the
word: Love. Love is the word. Love your neighbor, love your enemy, love the
stranger, love yourself. Understand if you can; empathize if you can. If you
can’t, love anyway. Do not be afraid to love. Do not hide the talent of your
heart in the bunker of your fear.
