Have you ever seen one of those shows about how aliens built the pyramids? Or maybe you remember The DaVinci Code—how a Christian sect in ancient Egypt believed Jesus was married, and so that must be a truth that all the other Christians in the world suppressed.
It’s hard not to laugh, but a lot of people can’t see the logical flaw in these examples. They may not believe such things, but they can’t necessarily tell you what’s wrong. They’re classic examples of affirming an obvious truth and then extrapolating to unnecessary (and ridiculous) conclusions. In other words, the conclusion dramatically overstates the data. Yes, the pyramids are amazing. Archaeologists don’t know with absolute certainty how they were built. But because they can’t reproduce the feat doesn’t mean aliens from space came here and did it. Yes, there were some people in the ancient church who believed Jesus was married, but that belief doesn’t magically translate to reality.
I’ve talked about the need for logic and clear thinking in Bible study before. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a critical tool for Bible study. I’m also serious when I say that its absence is apparent all over the place. The examples above are funny, but these hit closer to home:
• Paul praised the Mosaic law, so we should keep the Law, observe the Sabbath, and not worship on Sundays.
• Early Christians in Acts spoke in tongues, so every Christian needs to.
• Translations disagree, so we can’t know what the Bible says.
These statements observe something obvious and then propose a far-flung conclusion that extends well beyond the observation. Christians are not commanded to observe the Law, though Paul had something nice to say about it. Christians in Acts spoke in tongues, but there is no command mandating it for everyone. Translations do disagree, but not everywhere, and most disagreements are not contradictory.
When we study Scripture, we will see things in the text. Every conclusion we draw should have a direct line back into the text. If it doesn’t, our thinking goes beyond the text and is flawed.