 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Introduction:
Hermeneutics
Derek Poole
Comment
Alan Wilson
From
the Director
David Porter
What
is Hermeneutics?
Brendan W Devitt
The
Bible and the Church
Alwyn Thomson
Hear
the Word of the Lord
David Bruce
Patience:
An attribute of love
Graham Cheesman
The
Bible and Christ
Alwyn Thomson
Understanding
Scripture: Issues of Gender
Fran Porter
The
Bible and the Christian Life
Alwyn Thomson
Take
me to the Theatre
Steve Stockman
Anabaptist
Hermeneutics
Walter Klassen
Reading
the Bible Then and Now
Alwyn Thomson
Cross-Cultural
Communication
Alan Wilson
HERMENEUTICS
Reading the Bible is possibly the most subversive activity that one can
engage in, for it proclaims a different reality to the 'normality' of
the world around us. Its central story is one of redemption and the new
kind of humanity proclaimed in the person of Jesus Christ. Engagement
with this alternative story is highly subversive and counter-cultural.
It makes you a dissident, a non-conformist, an outsider, for it has the
potential to make you a real person -- truly human and truly alive. Bible
study is an indispensable means of grace if we are to respond to the radical
invitation of the Apostle Paul: Do not be conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is
the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2).
However, Bible reading has other possibilities, not least our ability to subvert the text. When we reduce the message of the bible to abstract formulas and therapeutic piety we undermine its vitality, its prophetic character and its unique witness to the Word of God in history. Or when we harness the bible to cultural and political ideologies we make its message subservient to our fears and prejudices. Both the privatisation and enculturation of the Bible result in the domestication of the text -- the Word made word, the Word made safe.
The challenge for those of us who ascribe scripture with authority is to let the Bible speak for itself. However, as Brendan Devitt suggests ( What is Hermeneutics? ) this is not as 'simple' as it sounds. It requires discipline and an understanding of the reading methods we bring to the text. Without a hermeneutical awareness we will impose on the Bible a host of 'sacred' assumptions, which as David Bruce reminds us in his tale of two preachers ( Hear the Word of the Lord ), will distort the way we interpret and publicly proclaim the meaning of scripture. Equally important to reading and listening with integrity is our intention to obey. Knowledge and discipleship, argues Walter Klassen in Anabaptist Hermeneutics, are synonymous. Our readiness to obey God's word is prerequisite to our understanding.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Lion & Lamb and that it contributes to your understanding of the Bible and the radical Jesus it proclaims.
ECONI WELCOMES the submission of unsolicited articles, but does not guarantee publication, and manuscripts cannot be returned. Opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECONI. Permission to reprint any original article in Lion & Lamb should be sought from the Editor.
Editor
Derek Poole
Asst Editor Ruth Hutchinson
Design Colin Maguire
Cover Spring Graphics
 |
||
 |
 |
|