Monday, April 03, 2006
Prooftexting
I went to a peace march this weekend and my sign said "Swords into plowshares=God's Political Platform." I love prooftexting for peace. However, I recognize that it is not compatible with my beliefs surrounding Biblical Interpretation. I tend to be all about Scripture+Reason+Experience+Tradition, in no particular order, with all of the above acting as checks on the other. But in truth, I have to say I lean more towards experience than anything else. I feel called toward certain interpretations because of my experience of God in my life.
Anyway, who cares about all that, right? But I am soooo tired of seeing blog conversations where people just keep arguing past eachother because they don't recognize that there are different schools of Biblical interpretation. And that Scripture interpreted only by using other Scripture was not handed out by Jesus, but Westminster. And that Scripture only is a Reformation thing, not an entire history of Christianity thing. In fact, people who have no knowledge of the midrash Jewish traditions and assume that Paul's reference to other texts in his letters to the churches is done in the same spirit as modern prooftexting just make me want to give up.
Could we get a little instruction on the history of Christianity in the churches? I mean is it that scary to admit that learned theologians framed these ideas, not the big Guy himself? Or is this going on, and people are just getting from that instruction to a completely different place than me somehow?
Anyway, who cares about all that, right? But I am soooo tired of seeing blog conversations where people just keep arguing past eachother because they don't recognize that there are different schools of Biblical interpretation. And that Scripture interpreted only by using other Scripture was not handed out by Jesus, but Westminster. And that Scripture only is a Reformation thing, not an entire history of Christianity thing. In fact, people who have no knowledge of the midrash Jewish traditions and assume that Paul's reference to other texts in his letters to the churches is done in the same spirit as modern prooftexting just make me want to give up.
Could we get a little instruction on the history of Christianity in the churches? I mean is it that scary to admit that learned theologians framed these ideas, not the big Guy himself? Or is this going on, and people are just getting from that instruction to a completely different place than me somehow?
