Bovine Droppings in the Place of Prayer - intro

Many are the sacred cattle
wandering through the sacred halls
in the awesome sacred precincts
of the sacred church of God,
many sacred cattle leaving
evidence upon the sacred floor
where their sacred feet have trod.
Many cows, much evidence
in which upon the floor there grows
a strange and various vegetation,
nourished by what has been left,
and fertilized, and rank with life
of many types and many shapes
whose weirdly formed
and wildly branching limbs
boldly bear a strange
and psychedelic fruit
which when partaken makes men mad
and banishes good sense
and turns discourse into blather
which doesn’t end.>
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(This was the preface to each of several papers about Scripture that I did some years ago, while still an Evangelical Pastor. Writing these helped lead me back into the Great Tradition. I finally decided to post them here.)
Warning!
You are entering the domain of a crotchety old preacher. I’ve lived six decades in a variety of different fellowships. I’ve heard much, believed much, and declared much — and a large proportion of what I have heard, believed, and declared has been foolishness, to put it mildly. Close attention to the Scriptures and to what the wise men of many ages have seen in the Scriptures has led me to recognize how much influence sacred cows and their droppings have had upon Christian thinking and practice. Sacred cows produce a lot of leavings that need to be shoveled, and I’ve got the shovel. This is one of a series of occasional papers in which I will attempt to identify and question some of these commonly accepted and (I believe) false notions. I’m seeking truth, and I hope that is true for my readers. No offense is meant, and I hope none is taken. May God lead us all into truth and wisdom unto salvation!

Ed Pacht