Who's really "calling"?

One of the most controversial subjects among those who in any way regard the Bible as the revealed Word of God is the very personal matter of discerning the valid voice of God. So many people have, in some way or another, said, "God told me...", in connection with some decision or action they felt "moved" to do.

Some of those who claimed to have heard that divine Voice went on to do good deeds, such as acts of charity or social improvements. Others proceeded to commit acts of violence against some perceived "enemy", or even against their own children, supposing they were "saving" such little ones from an even worse fate.

And then there's some who feel "called" of God to choices and lifestyles that are clearly prohibited in Scripture. Episcopal Bishop Eugene Robinson spoke last week with a TV host, and very confidently declared, "If something were to happen to me, I would know that I am doing what I discern God is calling me to do.”

Now, the Bishop was not speaking of taking the Gospel to hostile nations, or taking a vocal stand against an immoral and vicious government. He was talking about a proposed civil union ceremony he is planning with his same-sex partner. And Robinson feels postitively apostolic in his campaign to open the church's doors even wider than they already are to those who claim to be both Christian and homosexual. He stated, “I’ve come to understand that this is a particular historic role that God is calling me to play at this moment."

Such statements, made with all the confidence and certainty of an old-time evangelist, sound strange to those who believe very opposed to Robinson's convictions on the subject of homosexuality. Some would wonder, "Is he reading the same Bible as I am?" The problem of discerning the Voice of God from reading the Bible is, however, not as simple as reading from the same translation.

It is clear enough what the Bible is actually saying. Any careful reader can understand most of what this Book says by the use of its language. But, from there it gets very fuzzy, at least in terms of arriving at a consensus on the meaning and application of what is said. Many people, unacquainted with the Bible's teachings, may despair of ever truly understanding the Holy Book, because there are, in many cases, so many different interpretations offered for the same text. And some who are outright opposed to the Bible point to this fact as if to say, "See, we knew it was just a human book!"

At the very least, in view of how common it is for people to read the same Bible and come away with so many different meanings, we should, all of us, be more humble than to confidently declare, "God called me to do this or that," until we have first arrived at a reliable method of interpretation and application. "This is how it seems to me," is not good science, whether interpreting the Bible or the laws of nature. And, if we are claiming to have "heard the voice of God" while reading the Bible, we'd better be sure that voice is at least consistent in tone and spirit with the one heard by the majority of others who have also studied that same text with equal diligence and objectivity.

Bishop Robinson is quite sure he is hearing the "call" of God in regard to his lifestyle and personal philosophy. So sure, in fact, that he gladly rejects the opinions of sincere and godly students of the Bible who have gone before him, even in his own denomination. It seems more likely that Robinson is hearing, not the voice of Almighty God, Who never changes, but the echo of his own voice on a "dead" line.