(The Bible:) Too Offensive?

So, yesterday I posted several pictures of explicit LEGO scenes depicting sex, decapitations, childbirth, and various other violent situations. I asked if they were too offensive, if you would want to read or allow your children to read a book filled with these images. Now, here's the thing. The book that I got these images from is "The Brick Bible," a graphic novel style Old Testament Bible completely illustrated using LEGOs. The images each depict a Biblical situation.

• The first is Sodom and Gomorrah after God destroys them with fire.
• The second is when Lot's daughters get him drunk and sleep with him.
• The third is Rebekah giving birth to Jacob and Esau.
• The fourth is Samson killing the Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.
• The fifth is David beheading Goliath.
• The sixth is David having the messenger who killed Saul killed.
• The seventh is David looking at Bathsheba bathing.

I didn't include it, but every image is captioned with the Bible verses that describe it. There are many more images as well. Some are happy and appropriate, others are even more disturbing. There are images of rapes, dismemberments, drunkenness, massacres, circumcisions, human sacrifice, diseases, etc... basically, you name it and you can find it. I must admit that reading through it I was both shocked and amused. I was disturbed by the images, and the fact that they were LEGO kinda made it better, but also kinda made it worse. However, what I found most amazing was the fact that the entire Bible is depicted, not just the major stories, not just the popular stories, and not just the pretty stories, but everything.

I started to do some research on "The Brick Bible" and I discovered a few interesting things.

1. "The Brick Bible" was actually pulled from the shelves of Sam's Club for being too offensive.
2. The creator of "The Brick Bible" The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith is actually an atheist who is non too fond of God, and has quite a few derogatory things to say about Him and the Bible.
3. "the goal of The Brick Testament is to give people an increased knowledge of the contents of The Bible in a way that is fun and compelling while remaining true to the text of the scriptures." (from http://www.thebricktestament.com).

So here's my question. Is this too offensive? Does depicting the stories in the Bible, in all their beauty and all their hideousness make it more or less acceptable or appropriate? Does the fact that a man who does not believe in God and (yet) views God as angry, vindictive, hateful, etc... created this book make it any more or less offensive or acceptable?

I actually really like "The Brick Bible" because of the fact that it displays the stories of the Bible, many of which most Christians don't know about or gloss over, and if you go on the website www.thebricktestament.com, there are many more stories depicted. The depictions on the website betray a bit more of the The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith's atheism in the title's for the image collections as well as a few of his own words inserted in bubbles in the images.

The fact of the matter is that the Bible is not G rated, or PG or PG-13. Some parts of it are for sure, but the Bible as a whole is definitely R, if not NC-17. It displays the story of humanity in all its glory and all its despicable filth, and it displays the story of God's love through it.

I have been reading through the entire Bible, something which I have never done before in my almost 24 years as a Christian, and I am amazed at what I am reading and discovering. I am seeing new insights, lessons, and truths in stories I've read dozens of times before, and I am reading stories I have never read before. Some of these stories are really cool, and others leave me very upset and questioning why God would have allowed the events to happen, but all are revealing more about God, about humanity, and about the relationship between the two.

So what do you think? Do you think it is appropriate or acceptable to depict all of the Bible stories in this format? Furthermore, do you think that something created by a man who is antagonistic toward God can be used for good? Or, do you think that this is too offensive and Sam's Club was right in pulling it from their shelves?

Baptism and Wine

Last week I was looking up verses and information on baptism for the Bible Study for X-session, and I came across a verse that kinda confused me. I was searching for "baptism Christ" on YouVersion and the verse that popped up was John 2:6. What really confused me about this verse was that it did not contain the words "baptism" or "Christ," and was not in a section of the Bible dealing with baptism at all. Here is what it says:

"Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained 20 or 30 gallons."  

So what in the world does this have to do with baptism? It's actually really cool. In case you don't know, this verse comes from the passage in the Bible dealing with Jesus' 1st miracle, turning water into wine. The six stone water jars that are mentioned are the jars that Jesus instructed to be filled with water, and it was this water that He transformed into the choice wine for the wedding.

In Old Testament Jewish law, ritual washing and purifications were very important, and in some ways, baptism is an extention of this. Baptism is symbolic of ritually cleansing yourself, removing the grime and filth and dirt of your old sinful life and becoming clean before God. Just as the Jews would ceremonially clean themselves to remove the stain of sin, we are baptized, representing the cleansing and removal of sin that Christ has performed in our lives.

Now, what I find to be incredibly interessting about this is the fact that Jesus chose these jars, this water to turn into wine. These were holy jars and important water, and Jesus took that and transformed it into a LOT of wine for celebration. In some ways, this could be viewed as a statement against the old system, a representation of the fact that while, there had been a certain system in place in the past to keep people clean before God, the bridegroom had now come, and it was time to celebrate, to bring out the best wine in celebration of the wedding between the perfect bridegroom (Christ) and His bride (The Church).

Secondly, the symbolism in the use of these jars is incredible! As we see multiple other places in the Bible, wine is symbolic of blood. We see, at the Last Supper, that Jesus directly relates the wine to His blood, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins and which seals the new covenant. The jars and water that Jesus turned into wine were to be used for purification and cleaning under the new covenant. When He transformed this water into wine it was a statement that the old system of purification was over. People would now be cleaned through the washing with blood, Christ's blood. The wine was not just any wine, it was the best wine. The blood that cleanses us now is not just any blood from animal sacrifices, but the best, perfect blood of Christ. Where we once had to be ceremonially washed with special, holy water, we are now washed, through baptism, in Christ and His blood. We are buried with Him and cleaned through Him and raised with Him in a new, clean life.

One other interesting thing about this: In the OT, one of the 1st plagues on Egypt was the turning of water into blood, and these all led up to the Passover Meal, the salvation of the Israelites, and the establishment of the 1st covenant.
In the NT, Christ's 1st miracle was the turning of water into wine (blood). This began his ministry, which led up to the Last Supper (The Passover Meal) and the crucifixion of Christ, which established the new covenant and brought about the salvation for all.

Just some interesting thoughts.