Highway of Prayer

From an article on CNN.com:

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. 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 interstate's shoulder in Dallas.

Let me preface what I am about to write with the following:

I believe in the power of prayer.
I believe in the need for us to pray.
I believe the Bible can speak to us even today.
I believe Christians should be public with their faiths.
I believe Christians should work to enact change in the world.

With those statements in place, let me continue. Stories like this irk me to no end. Many reasons could be cited, but for the most part my frustration centers around the effect of these sorts of actions. I think this whole thing does little more than mar the reputations of Christians and the Church. The world looks and things, “What a bunch of imbeciles.” Even the writer said “...most people, the religious and the non-religious alike, don't buy any of this...”.

Does this highway and its many “adult businesses” need prayer for renewal and repentance? Of course. But to cloak it in some specific fulfillment of this ancient text smacks of ignorance in regard to interpreting the Bible. I don’t want to sound like one of those arrogant scholars or 2nd year undergraduate students, but I get so tired of what is, in my opinion, terrible exegesis. The writer of Isaiah 35 was not thinking of a concrete highway for combustible engine vehicles built some 2500 years later. Rather, the writer used specific imagery to depict restoration and a fulfillment of God’s promises and plan for this world. More than likely s/he envisioned a restored Israel returned to its status as a world power and influence. Thus it seems ludicrous to appropriate this text in this way.

So what am I to do with such stories? What am I to do when church members bring such things to my attention and say, “Isn’t this great? Christians living out their faiths.” What am I to do when other Christians are embarrassing the rest of us? Or am I being overly critical?