Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse, Positive Feedback, and the Bible

On Nov. 7, 1940, the new suspension bridge across the Tacoma Narrows in Washington state catestrophically collapsed. The cause was positive reinforcement. The girder design allowed the bridge to shed wake vortices from the wind that were in time with the natural vibrating frequency of the bridge due to its size and shape. It is a classical example of positive reinforcement. In physics, positive reinforecment is almost always catestrophic as it leads away from equilibrium.

Spiritually, the same principle holds true. When we put ourselves in an echo chamber of people who always see scripture exactly as we do, who see the things of the spirit exactly as we do, the results are almost always catestrophic. Getting off into the weeds happens one little step at at time. When that step is reinforced positively, it leads to another in the same, wrong, direction.\\

That is why a forum such as this is important. We need to encounter people who do not see it exactly as we do. We need to discuss scripture with people who disagree with us. And, we need to allow that discussion to drive us to study the word of God and to pray.

Never seek to defend your way, simply because it is your way. Never seek to defend your way because you have fealty to a denomination or a teacher or leader. Banter back and forth. Bring out your points and allow them to be tested, and be Berean. I cannot tell you how many times discussions here and with other people in my life have led me to dig into scripture and ultimately admit that I did not see it correctly.

Don't seek positive reinforcement, seek truth.

This is such an important and much-needed exhortation, Travis.

I think that one of the problems with debates is an underlying sense of loyalty to a belief. Once people become convinced, it is sometimes followed by a desire to declare or defend what they are convinced about. Even with an underlying (or overarching) desire to be loyal purely to "truth," it sometimes becomes difficult to tell the difference between perfect truth and a (currently) strongly held belief.

I know someone who quite recently arrived to a doctrinal belief that differed from a belief they previously had long-held. I also noticed that this person now perceives everything else in God's Word through that very particular doctrinal belief that they only recently embraced. No matter what they read in Scripture that seems to contradict that belief, they gather around teachings that "explain" how the Word of God (in those contradicting passages) should be "best understood."

Quite a few years ago, there was a discussion on Bible translations on SermonIndex. There were individuals who adhered to the King James Only position on Bible translations. Someone pointed out the passage in the King James Version that uses the word "Easter" (Acts 12:4). The Greek word used for this ("pascha") is clearly the Greek word for "Passover."

In English translations, the KJV (and three other variations of the KJV) is the only translation to use the word "Easter." Consequently, it's one of the very few clear indications of poor word translation in the King James Version. However, this would contradict the argued notion of the KJV being the "perfectly preserved" version of the Word of God.

One poster on the forum then posted a rather lengthy and well-written defense for the use of this word (i.e., "Easter"). Essentially, instead of arguing that the KJV was the one translation that got it wrong, they argued that the KJV was the only translation in human history that "got it right." The one thing that they didn't do is acknowledge that this Greek word for "Passover" had never before or after been translated academically as "Easter."

At the time, I remember thinking that this demonstrated a loyalty to a specific teaching or belief rather than openness to correction or, as such, a loyalty to truth. As always seemed to be the case, the debate shifted from the text to conspiracy -- a belief that there is an overarching conspiracy to distort the only "true" Word of God (i.e., KJV).

As you said, we should never defend our way simply because it is our way. I think that this is one of the great flaws of our humanity and nature. The underlying root of it may lie in the notion that we simply trust ourselves too much (even when we assume that this trust is in God rather than in what we think we learn in striving to follow God).

It's difficult to let go of this form of self-trust. I speak this from a firsthand experience! Sometimes, it's possible to allow our accumulation of knowledge, education, background or level of intelligence to get in the way of being open to the possibility of simply being wrong. Worse: It makes us sometimes prone to refuse correction, rebuke or even able to learn. This form of self-trust makes us view all others with a "raised eyebrow."

There are obvious examples of inarguable truth in God's Word by which there is no doubt as to its meaning. There are doctrines that are essential because they are essentially clear and beyond any need for debate. Yet, as you say, any doctrinal position that is held or embraced (even in a "lean this way" sort of way) should be something we're willing to open for testing, scrutiny and even criticism.

Like you, over the years, I've felt this need to "dig into Scripture" as a result of conversations and discussions only to find that I was wrong. I don't want to be that person who is hardhearted and completely obstinate when it comes to reproof. I shouldn't trust my conclusions -- or the conclusions of any other person -- when it comes to truth. Why? Like everyone else, I have been (and will inevitably continue to be) incomplete in my pursuit of perfection in this life.

Moreover, during any discussion, I should be willing to offer the same grace to others (including those with whom I disagree) that I would hope to receive from them. Even when I feel clearly right in a point, my goal should not be to "convince" but to seek truth along with other fellow pilgrims on this journey. As you said, it's not about "positive reinforcement" but the need to "seek truth."

Thank you for your exhortation! It's a timely reminder.

Amen!