Fearless Faith

The artful use of mnemonic devices can assist memory recall through association with related words and phrases. This is especially true for numbers of stories from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament writings from ancient scripture. From an early stage of understanding, and vacation Bible school classes, rose the story of King Nebuchadnezzar and three youth — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — who refused to fall into line with the king. As punishment, they were thrown into a fiery furnace (is there any other kind?), presumably to perish for their disobedience. To make a short story even longer, they refused to bow down to the King. Because of their faithfulness to God, they were not consumed by the flames. Not exactly high prose, but a more decent than most object lesson about the nature of God, one that is understood across ages and generations.

The funny sounding names are often less problematic for younger kids than for adults. Kids are fearless at sounding words out, but give an adult a reading from 1 Chronicles sight unseen, and they stand a good chance of needing sideline support of one kind or another. At the least, they will break out in a cold sweat. I recall being thrown to the wolves by my own kin when presented just such a scenario. It was survival on his part, lamely begging off because “I forgot my reading glasses.” I never let him forget it.

One of the most memorable mnemonics from Sunday School was “Shadrach, Meshach and a Billy Goat.” It was both harmless and fun. At home, it morphed into “Shadrach, Meshach, and To Bed We Go … no, you go … no, you go … no, you go [ad nauseum]. The earliest device of my own invention represented a simple attempt by me to keep the first four books of the New Testament straight. “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, stole a pig and away they (run).” It never occurred to me that the books were written and compiled at different moments in history, or that the authors did not meet up for coffee on occasion like all the church people I knew, or that they weren’t out of a translation that everyone was in complete agreement over.

For some, it is a non-issue. For others, it can become problematic. Respecting the Word, however, also includes playfulness and broad latitude in its applications. Disinterest in it by so many younger persons (let alone older ones) is no accident. We have straight-jacketed interpretations to the point of limiting applicability to the time and cultures we reside. The theology of Christ has always been expansive. That should come as no surprise given the breadth of compassion with which Jesus approached the world. “In this world but not of this world” is a world view that reserves room for a little humor, including Shepherds who wash their socks by night and Gladly, the cross-eyed bear. Throw in a Billy goat or two, plus a stolen pig and we might discover where is a wider audience than we first imagined.