| ||
| ||
|
Religion Information | |
|
|
Biblical Hermeneutics - Part 1
Hermeneutics is the science and art of the interpretive process which begins by determining the original meaning of the Biblical text and leads to elucidation of its sense for the body of Christ today. It is concerned with the presuppositions that are brought to the interpretation of texts because it consciously or unconsciously influences conclusions drawn. Presuppositions are the philosophical or theological starting points of reference which are usually shared by someone else. It differs from prejudice in that prejudice includes more personal factors that affect the judgment of the interpreter. The problem of Biblical authority would probably be less bothersome if we were able to approach the Bible unbiasly. Unfortunately, this is not possible. Therefore, we come with our mental baggage that is packed with previous involvement with Scripture which prejudice our reaction to the periscope under consideration. The result is, oftentimes, only an interpretation that mirrors our biases. Even though it is humanly impossible to interpret presupposition-lessly, there are safeguards we can use in the interpretive process that minimizes pure subjectivity and interjecting into text our own preconceived ideas. They are: 1) Awareness of the presupposition problem. When Scripture is rendered supreme, the text will interpret the interpreter as the interpreter interprets the text. Interpretation therefore, necessitates dialogue with Scripture. I think very few of us are cognizant of the extent to which our responses to Scripture are conditioned by a previously chosen orientation toward the church in general and toward Scripture in particular. These orientations, apparently for purposes of identification, are grouped under certain titles. Two of the broadest and, no doubt, misunderstood classifications are "liberal" and "conservative." The typical liberal view of the inspiration of Scripture is that the Biblical writers were inspired in somewhat the same sense as Shakespeare and other great writers. What the writers transcribed were ancient religious conceptions about God and His workings. Liberals believe that Scripture is inerrant where it speaks on soteriological matters, but that it may possess errors in historical facts and other details. The conservative view of the inspiration is that God worked through the personalities of the Biblical writers in such a way that, without suspending their personal styles of expression of freedom, what they produced was literally inspired. The emphasis of the text is that Scripture itself, as well as the authors, was inspired. Of course there are those within each camp whose view of inspiration varies from the generally accepted. Both orientations also have their own strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of the liberal position has been said to include the fact that they are not embarrassed by negative phenomena found in Scripture; no claim is made regarding Biblical inerrancy and so there is no need to deal with it; and since they do not believe texts are infallible, the do not have to be bothered with issues pertaining to canonicity of Scripture; and finally, liberals need not suspend their critical faculties when studying Scripture. The weaknesses of this position are said to be located in its tendency to dilute the inspiration and authority of Scripture in a significant way. It places overemphasis on human reason; if Biblical claims cannot be grasped by human reason, it is unacceptable. Another weakness lies in the idea of progressive revelation. Liberals believe that as man developed mentally and spiritually, later divine revelation was superior to earlier ones. Thus, religious experience becomes the foundation for deciding divine inspiration. A further difficulty with this view is that it allows room to call into question or disallow all of the miraculous in Scripture. Two outstanding strengths of the conservative view proposed are: 1) they take the Bible seriously as the only authority for life and the Christian faith; and ; Achtemeier (Contemporary Theology) proposes another view of inspiration. He sees it as being located more in the interrelationship of tradition, situation, and respondent contained in Scripture rather than located in Scripture itself or the Biblical authors. Whatever view one holds is important to hermeneutics. If we hold a liberal view of inspiration for example, it would probably be difficult, if not impossible, to not approach Scripture with the presupposition "Scripture contains errors". Thus, if we encounter apparent discrepancies, we may decide that one or both of the pages involved contain mistakes. Likewise, as a conservative, we may be inclined to find an exegetically justifiable way of resolving the seeming discrepancy rather than entertain an erroneous possibility. (to be continued) Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.
MORE RESOURCES:
Religion - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
An Encouraging Moment / Pomes for the Heart Here are a few pomes, that I hope, may encourage you to read your Bible. I hope you enjoy the poems, and I pray that it bring light into your life. Billy Graham- America Salutes You America has had its great share of renowned preachers, missionaries and evangelists but none can hold a candle to the Reverend Billy Graham. His influence is worldwide but for Americans his life and ministry have been both influential and a matter of pride. Josephs Life-a Series of Coincidences One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph. If you read and really understand this story, you will see that nothing is coincidental and that all things work according to God's plan. Jesus Christ: The First, The Last, The Eternal Luke 17:20-17:24 Jesus Christ. The First, The Last, The Eternal. Living Proof: We are Living in the Days of Noah A familiar phrase used in Bible prophecy is the term "Days of Noah." Jesus warned, "For as in the days of Noah before the flood, they were eating and drinking, men marrying and women being given in marriage, until the very day Noah entered the ark. L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. Blows the Whistle L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. The New Heaven And New Earth Now that Satan, all of his fallen angels and all of unsaved humanity have been cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, there is only one thing left. God will now give the rest of saved humanity their final reward - the new heaven and the new earth. Development of Liberal Theology: An Overview (Part 1) The modern historical era of liberal theology basically encompass four distinct phases of change. The Enlightenment phase extends from the seventeenth century to approximately the middle or late eighteenth century. Accountability and Such Nonsense From the late 1970's through the 1980's, my wife and I were members of an authoritarian Bible cult. Not only were we members, but we were full time, unpaid leaders. Truth, Justice and the American Way to Boil a Frog Using a good tool over and over doesn't make it any less valuable it only proves its usefulness. That said; let's review the old boiling frog story one more time. A Powerful Word For Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones For what it is worth, I'd thought I'd pass this on to the rest of you. I wrote this article a few years ago. Imagine Some people imagine what glory will behold them at the end of this age, others wonder what it will be like to be like Jesus Christ. Well let's see what the Bible says about this. A Time of Suffering As the clock ticks down to the fateful day of reckoning that faces Israel, and the world in regards to the uprooting of thousands of Jewish residents in their biblical homeland of Gaza, and the northern Shomron, Jerusalem becomes more in focus as the next target of worldwide aspirations."We say to the entire world: Today Gaza, tomorrow Jerusalem. Keep on Singing The prisoners of Sing Sing, one of the most repressive, oppressive and dehumanizing penal institutions ever erected on the grounds of New York, were prohibited from singing during their incareration. The authorities felt that it would contribute to prison disturbance and ultimately, chaotic discord. The Lost and Found When we think in terms of what it means for man to be lost, we are immediately confronted with the fact that it is as sad a description as could ever be given to human beings. A sick person may get well; a crippled person may adjust to his infirmity; an indebted person may pay off his debt; an illiterate person may educate himself. What If We Are Getting Paid For Prayer (Salat)... What will be the effect on general public if the constitution of our country pass a rule as:Section #___It is hereby submitted that from 10, July, 2005 , everybody will get 27 rupees for saying his prayer , provided , he must have to say his prayer (Salat) in the main mosque of the living area.Provided further that he must have to come on his feets by walking. The Face of Deceit Jeremiah 14:14-14:14. What is Deceit? The intentional misleading or beguiling of another; in Scripture represented as a companion of many other forms of wickedness, as cursing (Psa 10:7), hatred (Pro 26:24), theft, covetousness, adultery, murder (Mar 7:22; Rom 1:29). The 7 Trumpet Judgments This article will deal with the next set of judgments called the 7 Trumpet Judgments. Things will now go from bad to worse compared to what just happened with the 7 Seal Judgments. The Reign of Insanity I know you want to kill me, and I wish to do all I can to help you succeed. Well? that would be insane, but what about this?I know you want to kill my children, destroy my country, and erase all historical evidence of our existence, and I want to do everything I can to help you achieve your goals. Ultimate Truth:The Invitation Religion is so many things. From what we can see nowadays, it is a business, societyAnd a whole lot more ways humans operate religion.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
Comment by Deborah L. Rhode
withgoalscorergaryhamilton.jpg)
