An example of bad theology springing from selective bible reading follows:
Bad theology:
Every single individual human being has sinned (EXCLUDING original sin).
Selective bible reading:
as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:10-20
Antidote to selective bible reading:
Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:5-6
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
Job 1:1
...
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nought? Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand." So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
Job 1:6-12
Bad theology can be countered but first it must be recognised for what it is and then the antidote can be administered. Jesus knew no sin so it is both bad theology and bad hermeneutics to interpret the passage from Romans (which quotes a psalm) as teaching that every single individual who has ever lived has sinned. It ought to be noted that original sin does in fact implicate all the natural children of Eve and Adam but the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ excludes him from the category of "natural children of Eve and Adam" inasmuch as his Father is God. And the idea that all (excluding Christ) are implicated in original sin does not imply that all have committed sins themselves. Infants who die in infancy or who die before birth have committed no sins even though original sin implicates them. And since God himself testifies that Job was blameless & upright (more accurately "perfect and upright") it appears that the only one who accuses Job of sin is Satan. Yet some who adhere to bad theology follow the thinking of Satan and accuse Job of sin on the basis of the passage in the psalms that is quoted in Romans. Enoch is also accused of sin yet God says he was pleased with Enoch and "took him". "Took him" implying that God received Enoch into heaven without Enoch ever dying. What sins can Enoch be accused of if God himself received him?
Other examples of Bad Theology springing from selective reading of scripture can easily be cited. The example given above is one that ought to be obvious to any who read scripture more fully and with their wits and eyes fully operative.
