Some people believe some really crazy things:
DALLAS, Texas (CNN) — If you turn to the Bible — Isaiah Chapter 35, Verse 8 — you will see a passage that in part says, “A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.”
Now, is it possible that this “highway” mentioned in Chapter 35 is actually Interstate 35 that runs through six U.S. states, from southern Texas to northern Minnesota? Some Christians have faith that is indeed the case.
It was with that interesting belief in mind that we decided to head to Texas, the southernmost state in the I-35 corridor, to do a story about a prayer campaign called “Light the Highway.”
Churchgoers in all six states recently finished 35 days of praying alongside Interstate 35, but the prayers are still continuing.
Some of the faithful believe that in order to fulfill the prophecy of I-35 being the “holy” highway, it needs some intensive prayer first. So we watched as about 25 fervent and enthusiastic Christians prayed on the the interstate’s shoulder in Dallas
(…)
The woman who came up with the concept of “Light the Highway” is a Texas minister named Cindy Jacobs.
She says she can’t be sure Interstate 35 really is what is mentioned in the Bible but says she received a revelation to start this campaign after “once again reading Isaiah, Chapter 35.”
Jacobs also points out that perhaps there is a link between the area near this highway and tragedies that have happened in history, such as the bridge collapse on I-35 in Minneapolis last August and the assassination of JFK 44 years ago near I-35 in Dallas.
Quite frankly, reading a story like this makes even something like transubstantiation seem completely logical by comparison.
seem completely logical.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Doug, this is - unfortunately - what happens when people take verses out of context. Even a quick scan of Isaiah 35 reveals that this is a very specific prophecy for the future of Israel, not the United States (which are not mentioned specifically in the Bible).
Also, I’m rather astounded that this woman missed a) that the prophecy refers to a work of God, something which cannot be done by human hands, and b) the second half of the verse,
“The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.”
… which pretty much makes clear, taken together with the rest of the chapter, that the “Highway of Holiness” is a metaphor for a whole nation walking in obedience to God’s Word, vs. an actual, physical highway that cars and trucks will use.
[shaking head] I mourn for the lack of solid, practical and on-going biblical exegesis in American Christendom. We have gotten so STUPID because of a lack of godly training and teaching, that it’s a wonder God hasn’t struck the American church down for our sin.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Kat,
Quite honestly, stuff like this is why the Catholic Church still appeals to me over other branches of Christianity. Outside of the specific beliefs, there is, at the core, an intellectualism that keeps things grounded in, well, sanity.
I’ve never quite understood religious traditions that reject that particular quality.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
The “highway” described in Isaiah 35 foretells the way back to Jerusalem from Babylon the captive Jews were to take. The point being: God would provide safe travel through a hostile land for the returning Jews.
Pseudo Christians do, in fact, take Bible verses out of context and fashion them to fit into their misguided, uneducated thinking.
What exactly is “the American church”? Read and learn from the last book of the Bible, Revelation. There it is revealed what “church” God will destroy. Of course, one must undertake a serious study of the entire Bible to perceive God’s purpose. The Bible is the only “highway” out of the figurative Babylon existing today.
As for the Catholic Church: Just when did that “church” start teaching from the Bible? That “church” keeps its “members” in the dark with mystical symbolism, paganism, and idol worship.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Stuff like this is what makes Xtians look like morons, and it’s entirely their own doing. Do they ever stop, look in the mirror, and ask, ‘What am I doing? Is this as foolish/stupid/crazy as it sounds?’
If they could, the rest of us would really appreciate it.
December 20th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Jerry — Nice slam on the Catholics. But, maybe you ought to look in the mirror. Most religions are all about keeping members in the dark, the present at bay, the money flowing and the perpetuation of nonsense.
December 20th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
“…When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners…where everyone can see them. I assure you, this is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself…and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father…will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on…”
Matthew 6:5 - 7 (New Living Translation)
December 21st, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Though I appreciate the need and desire for Christians to seriously pray for our nation, I am always amazed at how they misuse Scripture to accomplish their goals. Isaiah 31:4-32:20 deals with God’s judgment and deliverance for Jerusalem. Isaiah 33:1-20 God promises to destroy Assyria and exalt Zion (Jerusalem). And Isaiah 34:1-35:10 God predicts that Edom will also be destroyed and Jerusalem exalted. All these prophecies are to encourage God’s people under Isaiah’s ministry to do the right thing. The “highway” mentioned of course, is the road from Babylon to Jerusalem which the captives would take after exile (started in 538 BC). This passage says nothing about Interstate 35 or America’s role. Playing loose with Scripture makes Christians look foolish. The current anti-theological climate in American Christianity is responsible for the current malaise in proper exegesis. Bible teachers (of any training) should know better.