But as I reread the text, the real issue with the people of Jericho seems to be that they were in the way. Answers aren’t hard to find–some commentaries note that the people of Jericho deserved judgment for their sins: they were violent, they were promiscuous, they were disobedient. My immediate desire as I faced this biblical text was to find a sound explanation for the destruction explicitly ordered by God. The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction.’ …Then devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys”(Joshua 6:16-17, 21 NRSV).
“And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, ‘Shout! For the Lord has given you the city.
I need curiosity especially when it comes stories about war in the Old Testament-stories that narrate the victories of Israel at the expense of slain enemies-stories that sound genocidal. The insistence on a quick, rational defense of the faith did not cultivate a spirit of curiosity yet that spirit of curiosity has been foundational as I learn to love these difficult biblical texts and exegete them faithfully. This summer, as I preached through the story of Jericho, I remembered once again how deficient that buttoned-up mode of Christianity is and how it damaged my faith by centering simple answers to deep and complex questions.
#Undisturbed disclosure scripture series#
The series centered around showstopping answers for anyone who might question the Christian faith. Ravi Zacharias was featured prominently alongside a slate of all-male apologists. Relativism, pluralism, and universalism were key targets. During my senior year at my Christian high school, my classmates and I watched a twelve-part series entitled The Truth Project, Focus on the Family’s apologetics manifesto, which was designed to help us build “a comprehensive and systematic Biblical worldview.” The whole series was filmed in a space that looked like a hybrid between a Yale classroom and Judge Judy’s courtroom. Staying curious has at times been the antithesis of the brand of Christianity I know well, one which aims to have all the answers laid out in a systematic way. This advice coincides with a summer spent preaching, mentoring, and curriculum planning, and it makes me wonder how deeply I incorporate this ethic of curiosity into my own work, study, and spiritual formation. When someone shares a problem that seems readily solvable to you, stay curious and ask, “So what’s the biggest challenge for you in this?” Instead, ask, “What else is on your mind?” Recognize that the first thing someone says is rarely the thing they want to talk about. When you ask someone, “What’s on your mind?”, try not to jump into sharing your story or a piece of advice that relates. While our advice typically doesn’t change hearts and minds, a good next question might. People thrive when they are given a platform to reach their own conclusions. Our advice is simply not the thing that someone needs. Stanier says that we overestimate the quality of our own advice (which often turns out to be the last thing we heard) and are too bound up in our own experience. Stanier helps coaches, mentors, and friends tame their ‘Advice Monsters,’ encouraging us to listen just a little bit longer. A Cohort Detroit (the ministry I lead) alum introduced me to this wisdom from Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit.According to Stanier, we all have “Advice Monsters” that are quick to tell others what to do.
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