Originally published July 1st, 2005:

Last week, as the public sale of fireworks gained momentum in anticipation of Independence Day, the news reported that an unidentified group of teenage boys in Oklahoma had killed a litter of puppies by stuffing their mouths with fireworks and setting them off. The mother of the puppies had survived the ordeal by running from the boys’ attack, but later she was found, dazed and confused, standing over her lifeless pups and trying to nudge them awake with her nose. A very sad scene, indeed.

To me, this kind of disgusting and mindless behavior only solidifies my opinion that the general public’s current use of fireworks on the Fourth of July no longer has any real significance as a heartfelt celebration of our American liberty, but has become an excuse by many people to revel in obnoxious and violent behavior. The proud feelings of patriotism that fireworks once fostered have been relegated to a vulgar form of amusement and empty ritual. We have been seduced over time by the flash and sparkle of the pyrotechnics, and are no longer moved by the history and symbolism that once impacted our young nation, fresh from her struggles for freedom.

Sadly, I see a parallel between this activity and the way many American evangelicals today approach the Bible. Just as July fireworks have been stripped of their original purpose and significance, the Bible is no longer revered and honored as the very revelation of God Himself, but has become nothing more than an empty icon of the Christian faith to use for selfish purposes. Churches today have fashioned God’s word into a “how-to” book to help their congregation satisfy their felt needs, bring them worldly success, or make them feel good about themselves. The weightier, humbling doctrines of God’s wrath, sin and repentance that provides the pivotal framework for the true Gospel has been replaced in favor of a more feel-good, self-centered approach to utilizing Scripture. In essence, God’s Truth has become a vessel for “common” use, just as fireworks have become outlets of rage for teenage boys and immature adults.

The true patriot, however, sees fireworks, not as destructive toys, but as a symbol that celebrates our historic path of independence through the life-and-death battles of our forefathers. Likewise, true Christians must be diligent in protecting the sanctity of the Bible as God’s holy word. The Bible was not given to us as a tool for self-justification or self-improvement; it was given to us to reveal the attributes of a holy sovereign God, the sin of natural man, and the amazing grace and love of God in sending His Son to atone for the sins of His sheep in order that we might have life, and that more abundantly.

Let us not allow our society’s growing obsession with amusement and self-determination to undermine the true purpose of God’s word to humble us and bring us into submission to God’s will.