Harrisakti

Pendahuluan
Penganut inerrancy berpemahaman bahwa Alkitab kristen -setidaknya pada naskah aselinya, tidak dapat salah, termasuk menyangkut ilmu pengetahuan dan sejarah. In-err-ant. Ini slightly differs from (beda tipis dengan) infallibility. Infallibility menerima kesalahan kecil dalam Alkitab, antara lain menyangkut bilangan, tahun, kronologi. Penganut infallibility tidak pusing apakah Alkitab benar secara sejarah. Kalau mau tahu sejarah, buka buku sejarah, bukan Alkitab. Namun, sebagai petunjuk moral ideal, petunjuk religius, penganut infallibility percaya Alkitab tidak dapat salah.

Fakta
Alkitab memuat banyak sekali peristiwa-peristiwa mitologis, bukan historis. Artinya, tidak sungguh terjadi. Kejadian 1-11 mitos semuanya. Bahkan Injil bukanlah biografi historis atas kehidupan Yesus. Mau tau Yesus sejarah, yaitu Yesus yang pernah hidup dalam sejarah, tanya sejarawan, tanya John D. Crossan yang menekuni Yesus sejarah, bukan memperlakukan Injil sebagai biografi yang historis. Injil lebih cenderung bersifat teologis ketimbang historis. Injil lebih merupakan kredo apologetis atas tantangan yang dialami suatu paguyuban kristen (misalnya Injil Yohanes untuk Johannine Community, atau Injil Markus untuk Markan Community).

Jadi jangan perlakukan Injil sebagai sejarah yang harus benar-benar terjadi, apalagi urutan kronologisnya harus tepat, anda akan kecewa. Sebagai bible study kecil-kecilan, mari buka bahagian Alkitab, sbb:

Injil Markus (juga Matius dan Lukas, injil sinoptik) bersaksi, setelah Yesus dibaptis Yohanes, Roh memimpin dia ke padang gurun selama 40 hari (Mark 1: 12-13). Yesus kembali dari padang gurun setelah 40 hari dan Yohanes pembaptis ditangkap (ay 14), dan baru kemudian memangil murid-murid pertamaNya (ay 17-19).

Injil Yohanes yang mengklaim ditulis oleh saksi mata, cukup "teliti" mengisahkan peristiwa pembaptisan Yesus. "Pada keesokan harinya Yohanes melihat Yesus datang kepadanya dan ia berkata: "Lihatlah Anak domba Allah, yang menghapus dosa dunia." (Yoh 1:29). Singkat cerita Yesus dibaptis Yohanes. Di ayat 35-51, Yesus memanggil murid-murid pertama "pada keesokan harinya". Tidak nunggu 40 hari atau nunggu Yohanes ditangkap.

Secara historis, secara kronologis, mana yang betul?

* * * * *

Satu lagi yang menarik soal historisitas iman kristen. Via dolorosa itu tidak ada. Apa yang dikenal dengan "Jalan Sengsara" (via dolorosa) Yesus yang terdiri dari 14 stasi (14 stations), 9 diantaranya tidak historis melainkan produk teologi beberapa abad zaman bersama (ZB). Yesus tidak sungguh-sungguh berkeliling kota memanggul salib, juga perempuan yang menyeka wajah Yesus (Veronica) juga tradisi yang tidak historis.

Munculnya tokoh Simon Kirene (bapa dari Rufus Alexander) dalam injil sinoptis (tetapi tidak di Injil Yohanes) juga tidak historis. Penulis injil sinoptis memasukkan tokoh imajiner bernama Simon Kirene sebagai sindiran kepada para murid. Lho kok bisa? Bisalah. Ketika Yesus memanggil murid-muridNya, Yesus memanggil untuk menyangkal diri, memikul salib dan mengikutNya. Tetapi ketika Pak Guru Yesus ditangkap, semua murid, termasuk Simon Petrus, lari tunggang langgang, dan hanya mengikuti dari kejauhan. Munculnya tokoh Simon Kirene merupakan "Simon yang lain", figur murid yang ideal, yang siap memanggul salib.

Via dolorosa dengan ke-14 stasi-nya bukan laporan historis, tetapi suatu "bangunan teologis" yang dirancang para engineer abad pertama ZB.

Nah, bagaimana? Masih ngotot mempertahankan inerrancy, bahwa laporan Alkitab benar secara historis?

We love to share our priceless experience during our "expedition" in Singapore to attend the "Project Timothy Bible Conference" (PTBC). First of all, three of us (Soly-Syenny-Taufik) would give thanks and just appreciations to our brother Rev. Benson who shown us generosity earlier before we studied it in the conference by inviting, picking up, and treating us both lunch and admission. Thanks also to Mr & Mrs Peter Ng who accompanied us during the conference and kindly took us to Harbour Front.

Well, PT is an independent and inter-denominational organization. It works in partnership with other like-minded evangelical churches or organizations (para-churches?) in Singapore and overseas (incl. GKI & GPIB someday?) to promote confidence in the Bible’s authority and to equip Christians to faithfully handle the bible (it sounds very fundamentalist). But my view changed. They are faithful evangelicals, but are not like what I used to think about fundamentalist evangelicals, who blindly faithful to the doctrine of inerrancy and become "the defender of church’s dogma". They are not. I can see their reliable reasons in apology, they put reason in its place. I also saw their publishings, consist of reliable methods why we should hold the bible’s authority.

We left Batam Friday morning 07.50 a.m. Indonesia and arrived in Singapore around 40 minutes after it. We should queue for immigration and soon after it we met Rev. Benson waiting for our coming. We had some coffee on upstairs of Harbour Front, Pak Soly bought a towel, sightseeing in Vivo city, then we had our lunch. After lunch Rev. Benson took us to Prince George’s Park, NUS’s student flat. It was very comfortable and high tech, we were given a "transponder" to open  the room’s door.

After taking shower we began the conference. Let’s check it out…

We began each session by singing praises (mostly hymn), responsive scripture reading and prayer. Then the speaker, Reverend Michael Raites, the principal of Bible College of Victoria, started his speech. The expositions are from the parables connected to richness and poverty, mostly Luke ch. 16, and some taken from Proverbs and other verses of the Scripture.

One thing surprised me, when Rev. Mike told us that the Lord has only once ever said "difficult" and "impossible". Isn’t he God? Is there anything difficult for God? "It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than a rich man entering the kingdom of heaven."

Usually, after one session completed, we took a rest and coffee time.  There was also "Berean Strands Group" between two sessions, where we discuss about the authority of the Bible, and the methods used to understand the bible correctly.

Another session was about  "serving  two masters". There are slight differences between serving God and Money. God, our Master told us to love him, and also our neighbours; while Mammon told us to love money and not to love our neighbours. Both God and money promises us that He will take care of us if we trust him and rely our life in him. Both God and money ask us to love him.

The next session was about greed and generosity. There are some false teachings nowadays covering their greed motives in religious appearance. They accommodate the sinful nature of human’s greed by offering the "Prosperity Gospel". What is wrong with that? Prosperity gospel measures God’s providence and contentment by physical-material blessings.

One bible’s best example of Christian’s contentment is Paul’s letter to Philippians. Philippians 4:10-13, Paul wrote the letter not in a fortunate situation, he was in jail, waiting for his execution. Paul gave us example to be content both in sufficiency and in want. Contentment in the Scripture is satisfaction in whatever we have got; while prosperity gospel says never enough.

We also gained many Christian friends in there. We found them slightly more enthusiastic in welcoming newcomers like us. They came from different churches, mostly Presbyterian. Something funny said by Mike, when he was contrasting between "Messiah and Humiliation", between "Cross and glory" and finally, said Mike, "Dynamic and Presbyterianism". Audience laughed loudly. Presbyterian/reformed/Calvinist churches are supposed to be dynamic to counter the challenge of false teachings.

That is all my souvenir.