In His Name Devotionals
ARE WE STRAW MEN?
In His Name Devotionals
ARE WE STRAW MEN?
Years ago I stood and faced him—toe to toe. The debate was fierce and passionate. Of course, I was right! He was wrong! From the beginning of the debate, it was obvious that he could not withstand solid, compelling, and overpowering logic. Each airtight line of my reasoning was irrefutable. Although he argued that his position was not being addressed, I just knew that he was being overwhelmingly defeated. He simply couldn’t win because of my clear, untarnished, and insightful understanding of Scripture.
Looking back it’s plain to see in me a straw man! Wonderfully made, well trained and designed for addressing the subject being argued! Straw men are, after all, such marvelous creatures. They are always right without ever having to think about what the other person is saying.
What is a straw man? He’s “a weak or imaginary opposition (as an argument or adversary) set up only to be easily confuted.” In other words, a straw man tells you what you’re “really” meaning, while at the same time defending his explanation of your case.
Straw men are popular today. They are often heard to say: “That’s what they teach,” (If it’s in the Bible isn’t it true no matter who else teaches it?); “They only do that to entertain,” (Do we really know what’s in someone’s heart?); and “That’s not what I was taught when I was growing up,” (Isn’t our goal to make the Bible our guide?).
Maybe we should put our straw men to rest. Now, what were you saying? Let’s talk about how that fits into God’s eternal wisdom through Jesus Christ?
