ABC Gum

As a child, my favorite chewing gum was Fruity Stripes.  I don't chew gum nowadays, but if I did, I think it would still be Fruity Stripes.  I can remember how much I loved the taste of putting a brand new stick of chewing gum in my mouth.  The flavor was incredible for the first minute or so.  After that, though, it gradually turned into a bland, rubbery wad of goo... good for little more than to be trod beneath the sole of one's boot.

The kids in the neighborhood where I grew up referred to this stage of the gum's lifecycle as ABC gum and might offer it to another kid in this fashion.  (We knew nothing of COVID-19 back then.)  ABC gum, a.k.a., Already Been Chewed Gum was a gift that was rarely accepted because few children want a bland, rubbery wad of goo, especially once one has tasted the incredible flavor of a fresh stick of chewing gum.

In spite of this, I am amazed how many teens and adults choose ABC (Already Been Chewed) reading rather than tasting a book for themselves, whether it's a New York Times Best Seller that is criticized by online reviewers and YouTube personalities or an old tome that is lauded by every critic in the history of literary criticism.  

Forming an opinion about an unread book, article, poem, or short story is akin to accepting a gift of ABC Gum.  The Bible is probably the best example, but there are plenty of others: The Republic by Plato, The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Beowulf, The Epic of Gilgamesh, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, "God Sees the Truth, but Waits" by Leo Tolstoy, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tse, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, etc., etc.

Many of us hear someone else's opinion on a particular book, article, poem, or short story and then regurgitate that opinion as though it were our own.  How can one know whether Siegfried Sassoon's early 20th century poetry was light-hearted or gritty without having read it?  How can one gauge whether William Shakespeare's writing is really ingenious, or whether Confucius offered practical advice, whether Solzhenitsyn was a courageous writer, or whether Jane Austen wrote with sardonic wit?  If first-hand reading is important for correctly critiquing and/or appreciating writers such as these, is it not profoundly more important when considering religious teachings?

For instance, many people have formed opinions about Christ and His teachings without having read them.  In fact, it is surprising to me how many professed Christ-followers also do not read His teaching to know how to follow Him.  They accept the gift of ABC gum from critics, friends, pastors, evangelists, New York Times Best Sellers, YouTube, or TikTok stars without reading the scriptures themselves, without an interpreter or commentator.

For anyone still chewing ABC gum, I would like to encourage you to spend time chewing on Christ's teachings first-hand.  The Bible has been translated into nearly every contemporary language worldwide.  It is accessible via the Internet.  It is available through mobile device apps.  Don't take someone else's opinion of Jesus as the Gospel.  Read the Gospels for yourself.  Be empowered and informed through the Bible, and chew it for yourself.  I'll take the Bible over Fruity Stripes any day, and that's saying something!  :)