Tearing Up the Bible

Lowell McCoy

One of the key people in my life who taught me to love the Word of God was Lowell McCoy. He was the preacher at Westside Christian Church in Columbia, MO, in the '60s. He was my preacher during the formative years from 10 to 12.

Back in those days I seldom actually listened to sermons. (Some who know me will wonder if anything has changed in that regard). But I do remember one particular sermon he preached.

It was during a Sunday evening service, back when churches had Sunday evening services.

On this particular Sunday evening, Mr. McCoy held a small black Bible in his hand and began to preach about people who want to remove parts of the scriptures.

I don't remember the details. Knowing Mr. McCoy and knowing the 60s in a conservative "non-denominational" Restoration Movement church, I have a pretty good idea.

He most likely button-holed the liberals who want to say Isaiah wasn't really written by Isaiah, the prophecies weren't really written hundreds of years before the fulfillment of those prophecies, and such stories as the virgin birth, the raising of Lazarus, and Jesus' death and resurrection never happened.

Mr. McCoy, a veteran of the wars fought over ownership of church properties between autonomous congregations and a denominational hierarchy, was not a fan of the "liberals".

What made the sermon memorable, though, was not the specifics targets of his attack.

As he detailed the various critics and criticisms of the Bible, he methodically ripped pages out of the Bible and let them drop to the floor. He talked about evolutionists questioning the story of creation and ripped several pages out of the front of the book and tossed them aside. He talked about accusations that Paul created an entire theology that Jesus never intended, while he ripped out the middle of the New Testament.

My friends and I watched in shock as our strait-laced preacher ripped the Holy Bible to shreds in front of us.

I mentioned this sermon on Facebook a few months ago, and a couple of my friends from back then said they too have never forgotten this spectacle.

And while I don't remember all the details, I did listen to that sermon. And what I remember is that I was struck by the fact that Mr. McCoy, who loved the Bible dearly, was willing to rip a Bible into tatters in order to demonstrate how horrible it is to disrespect the Word of God.

Some 45 years later, I feel just as strongly about it as did Mr. McCoy. As strongly as I'm sure he still does.

If I were to put on the same show, I'd point my aim at some of my own pet peeves about more current attacks on the integrity of the scriptures.

• Celebrity preachers and authors who start with their own prejudices and doubts rather than letting the Word speak for itself, and then famously choose to ignore the scriptures on the existence of Hell or invent imaginary revelations about gender roles.
  
  
• Christians who let their political obsessions drive their speech and their interaction with non-believers, ignoring the heart and mission of God revealed in the scriptures.
  
  
• Consumer Christians who spend more time reading Christian books, Christian novels, Christian blogs and listening to Christian radio celebrities than they do meditating on the Word of God

Seems I've become someone not so different than Mr. McCoy.  A love for God's Word has a flip side - an exasperation with people who disrespect the God-breathed scriptures.

Back then, as soon as Mr. McCoy finished the sermon, extended the invitation, and pronounced the closing prayer, I made a bee-line for the podium. I was joined by a couple of my friends, and we picked up the pieces of the shredded Bible.

No, it wasn't a Bible. He had put a black cover on a paperback novel. I don't remember the title.

But I do remember the lesson.

Thank you, Mr. McCoy.