RED HERRING
You’ve probably heard the expression "red herring." This term was coined from a method of training hunting dogs to follow the scent of their prey. Once the dogs were following the proper scent, their trainers would drag red herrings (a stinky fish) across their paths. Initially, the dogs would be diverted by the scent of the herring. They had to be trained to ignore that scent and instead stay focused on the scent of their prey. So a "red herring" is something that is introduced which diverts our attention from what we should be pursuing.
Paul's thesis is this the key to authentic spirituality is pursuing Jesus
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