Ever been somewhere at a time when it’s quiet and fairly inappropriate to laugh, but something struck you as funny? As much as you tried, you just couldn’t help laughing; and they very fact that you were supposed to be quiet made it all that much funnier and harder to stop? It happens to me way too often. One example…
I’m a member of the local Ruritan club (community service organization) and we meet one night each month. We have about 20 people at a normal meeting. They’re pretty relaxed, we eat dinner together, talk, then have the formal meeting for a little while before we leave. I don’t remember all the details but it went something like this. One guy was up at the front talking a little longer than everyone wanted but obviously had a few more things to say. He told us that the Ruritan national president might be visiting our club. Knowing that some (i.e. all) of us were pretty much clueless as to Ruritan hierarchy, he graciously decided to fill us in. I’m pretty sure this is the exact quote: “…the Ruritan national president, that’s pretty much like the president of the United States.” A friend was sitting across the table and we looked at each other when he said that. Both of us lost it. Trying to stop laughing and be quiet, when one of us finally got it under control, we’d see the other’s shoulders shaking from laughter and we’d start all over again. Honestly trying to stop the whole time, it took four or five minutes before we could stop laughing.
What was so funny? What got it all started? An analogy that just didn’t quite fit. I guess there may be some similarities between Ruritan national president and POTUS: The title… Ok I give up trying to find any more. My point is that in order to say something is “like” something else, there needs to be some deep, essential aspects shared by the two items—otherwise the analogy is more harmful than helpful. Here’s a few examples:
- I love my wife. God loves my wife. Therefore: I am like God. (true in some sense, but mostly misleading and potentially dangerous)
- Bicycles are vehicles. Automobiles are vehicles. Therefore: Cars are like bikes. (please don’t tell this to my four year old learning to ride a bike—he might grab my keys and give it a try)
- Christians participate in churches. Christians participate in local Baptist associations. Churches do ministry. Associations do ministry. Churches have leaders. Associations have leaders. Therefore: Associations are like churches.
I’ve heard well-meaning people (some pastors) express the idea that the local association is like a church, and the DoM is like the pastor of this church-like organization. In this post, I want to pick apart these comparisons and show that they are biblically mis-informed, theologically dangerous, and practically unhelpful.