At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City, a Swedish innovation in food service was introduced. It was called “smorgasbord.”
A Swedish smorgasbord was a meal in which a variety of food items were placed on a table or long board, allowing the diners to pick and choose the items and portions they preferred, instead of having prepared plates served to them.
Americans loved this new innovation in dining.
Smorgasbord became a part of our English vernacular. By the 1970s, salad bars and buffets had become all the rage in the United States. As Americans, we love buffets.
They cater to our individualism. They give us control. They provide variety. They allow us to decide exactly what and how much we eat.
Sadly, many Christians in our world today treat the Bible in the same way. I call it “Salad Bar Christianity.”
Salad Bar Christianity is a relatively new innovation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, as science and invention bloomed, so did man’s image of himself.
Scientists began to say, “God is unnecessary.”
Philosophers began to say, “God is dead.” Theologians began to say, “The Bible isn’t completely true.” Humanism – the idea that mankind can achieve whatever it puts its mind to – became the dominant way of thinking.
It was the Tower of Babel revisited. Man, in his pride, no longer needed God.
Soon, many Christians were being taught that the Bible was simply an ancient book full of myths and legends. Sure, truths about God could be gleaned from its pages, but first we have to cut out all the myths and legends.
As the 19th century turned into the 20th, the optimism of Humanism turned into the skepticism of Modernism, which turned into the relativism of Postmodernism. That’s a lot of “isms”, but it simply means that our world stopped believing in absolute truth. As Pilate skeptically asked Jesus on the first Good Friday, "What is truth?” (John 18:38). For our world, absolute truth doesn’t exist, or at least no one can claim to know it.
So now each person chooses for themselves what is true. To criticize or judge another person’s philosophy or choice is considered ignorant and intolerant. Every opinion is equally valid.
That way of thinking has led to Salad Bar Christianity. Many Christians today treat the Bible like a buffet. They pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible.
They look for churches that teach what they want to believe. They tell God, “This is what I want you to tell me.” The problem with Salad Bar Christianity is that it means you believe in a God who can’t even get his own story straight.
Even more importantly, Salad Bar Christianity makes you god. That’s its appeal. God is no longer telling you what you should believe. You are telling him what you want to believe. You are the boss. You decide.
Is the Bible always easy to understand or accept?
No. As sinful human beings, we don’t always like what it says. Our modern world definitely doesn't like what it says. But the Bible isn’t a buffet. It’s not our word. It’s God’s Word. The Bible is not a buffet.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas. You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
