The Flat Earth Society ...and YOU!

Flat Earth Society

While in college, I did some freelance writing for a small Christian youth magazine. Once, I was assigned to write a piece on the Flat Earth Society (FES). The editor was looking for a humor piece and thought this would “fit the bill.”

I did too. The annual meeting of the FES, conjured-up an image of a bunch of middle-aged men drinking beer and pretending they feared falling off the edge of the planet during their journey home. I made a call to the president of the group in advance of their gathering and, with a chuckle, asked him to describe what he/they believed.

This quickly became less-than-a-laughing-matter. “Are you calling to ridicule us?” he quipped. “Of course!” I replied with a snort. I really thought it was a joke and he was “in on it.” Unfortunately, he didn’t find it the least bit funny and spend 30 minutes lecturing me on why the earth really WAS flat and then threatening to sue our magazine for harassment. I tried to calm him down and then quickly ran into the editor’s office to warn him of impending doom.

The point is that no matter how ridiculous something is, someone--and perhaps hundreds of "someones" believe it. Rather than throw stones here, I'd rather question what it is that I believe that, if I only knew the facts, would be completely absurd. What Biblical truths have I ignored for instance or misunderstood such that my arguments on those topics are--well, crazy?!

It's always good to regroup and check ourselves based on core beliefs and worldview subjects. This is why I continually reread the Bible each year. I KNOW there are things I think I understand but no-doubt have wrong. My prayer is that God will point those out and help me avoid following the herd and, like lemmings, plummeting off the cliff (found on the edge of the earth, so I'm told).

In His Love,

Pastor Joel