Reading and Interpreting the Bible

Hello All,

I posted this piece on 12/01/07 http://www.crossleft.org/node/5560 in our debate series. Please forgive my redundancy, but this is easier for me to post than to try and explain to Byron a snippet at a time my view and methodology in handling the Bible. Thanks again to the Crossleft community for hosting the debate and allowing me to participate...it was fun.

Gary

Question: Do Progressive Christians need to take the Bible seriously, but not literally? If the theological interpretation of the Bible becomes more metaphorical, and the cultural and historical aspects of the interpretation of scripture are more emphasized, and literalism less emphasized, can we change American politics?

I believe Christians should strive to strike a balance between metaphorical and literal interpretation when seeking to utilize the scriptures in support of religious, social or political positions. The Bible, the number one best seller of all books ever published, is huge in volume and content. It deals with many varied issues of both ancient and current importance. It is incomprehensibly vast and presents many astounding ideas about physical and spiritual life.

People have debated throughout the ages as to the best manner of handling the scriptures and what degree of submission should be given to their authority in matters concerning living with God and Humanity. Developing and utilizing disciplines of sound Bible interpretation can greatly enhance the positive impact of Progressive Christian influence in all dimensions of society. Humility and civil dialog is required of all who pursue pragmatic life applications of Biblical truth through study and debate.

Every faith tradition has its touchstones serving as guides through the ages for its adherents and the Bible has historically fulfilled this need for Christians. I was taught to read it and believe it. I still strive to do so, but now I try to discern the historical context of its writing. I also look for possible metaphorical intentions and allow for cultural applications that may no longer have primary relevance in twenty first century western society. This is a considerable departure from the literalistic approach I was initially taught. I have not arrived at a confident place of understanding on all issues and I try to remain resilient as my faith and knowledge grows. However, I believe wisdom mandates a certain amount of reflective tentativeness when considering radical departures from any long held Church tradition established in scripture.

I claim no authority as a scholar or theologian. I am merely a student of the Bible and my thoughts on these matters are simply a distillation of a few decades of Bible reading and contemplation. We all have a tendency toward selecting certain passages and adapting them to our values and worldviews as support for what we believe about God, neighbor and self. However, we should not be quick to relegate scriptures to the metaphorical or deem them antiquated simply because they challenge our lifestyle or raise the bar of righteousness to a higher level than where we are. Instead, we should strive to discover the intent of the One who inspired the writing and allow for the fact that we are all needful of transforming truth. We should humbly acknowledge that words used in any form are an inherently flawed means for conveying complex ideas even for the best linguist, writer and reader.

Some degree of faith is essential for all who consider themselves Christian and practice any of the tenets of the Bible. This same faith should serve to bind all Christians in unity regardless of differing theological interpretative techniques.

One of the basic precepts to be considered when handling the Bible is the idea of "Old Testament" versus "New Testament." Respected theologian and COO of Sojourners, Chuck Gutenson, succinctly illustrates this when he says; "I often have students challenging my position on war by appealing to the OT accounts of God allowing or commanding war. I point out to them that God also used to expect animal sacrifices as well. They say, "But, Jesus changed that." I usually respond, "Yes, Jesus changed everything."

Revealing the dichotomy of two covenants can be useful in establishing meaningful contextual dialog with others. The continuity of spiritual and relational (both with God and humanity) progression is undeniably reflected in the covenants contained in the Bible. Some of the following discourse may be a little dry, but I believe the idea offered is essential to sound Bible interpretation.

Jesus hung on the cross and said, "It is finished." I read this as a multi-nuanced statement of completion on several levels. One obvious interpretation is, these are the words of a dying man. It can be taken further to mean the completion of His earthly ministry. I believe it goes even further to say the Old Covenant was ending and a New Covenant was emerging. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah looked forward and prophesied the emergence of a New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The New Testament writer of Hebrews reflects back and says it has happened (Hebrews 8:6-13). Verse thirteen says, "By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete." The Bible states we have the opportunity to now enter a new covenant with God and scripture declares it to be a better covenant.

The old covenant (contract or testament) was enacted when Moses presented all the laws and decrees to the Israelites and they said, “We will do it." I am of the opinion that everything legally bound to the old covenant ceased when Jesus, suspended between heaven and earth, made His proclamation of completion. Therefore, I seldom refer to the Law contained in books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy except when contrasting that whole system of living to the freedom now offered in Christ. However, some passages there reveal God's heart for justice issues regarding the poor, orphans, widows and aliens. I often caution fellow Bible students not to attach a legally binding mentality to any of the Law of Moses. I am of the opinion that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law thereby neutralizing it. This fact takes some of the mind-boggling harshness of the Old Testament out of the equation when striving for understanding with others about social, moral and political issues.

The rest of the Old Testament is not explicitly covenant (contractual) text. We find much colorful historical accounting of certain people and events in some texts. These can make fabulous sermon illustrations and interesting study. We find timeless wisdom in Proverbs and other books with much support there for kind and generous treatment of the oppressed. The richest song lyrics ever written, ranging from sheer shouting exultation to the deepest blues, is found in Psalms. A wild mix of images, both darkly disturbing and bursting with hope, is contained in prophetic passages that jar the mind and provoke contemplation of what the future may hold. I simply love it all as fantastic and inspired literature.

I think the essence of what can be gleaned from the Old Testament for Christians today is contained in Micah 6:8 when the prophet says, "He has shown thee oh man, what is good and what the Lord requires of thee; do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God." God’s uncompromising heart for justice and mercy is plainly revealed in this verse. The world would be a much better place if all humanity embraced this simple instruction.

Most of my personal advocacy for living as a Christian flows primarily from the New Testament. Study of scripture and history reveals that the essence of the noblest elements of liberalism flows directly from Jesus Christ. Commondreams.org published an essay of mine in 2004 entitled "Wasn't Jesus a Liberal?" (http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1019-24.htm).

This unleashed a flood of emails from thankful people who were sick of right wing rhetoric claiming exclusivity to Christian expression. It also provoked a veritable firestorm from my Christian brethren on the right who stumbled on the article. I still stand by my premises contained in the essay, yet I would amend my sentiments to say Jesus is and was so much more than a liberal or any other earthly delineation we might like to attach to Him.

I shared above what I believe to be the essence of the Old Testament. I believe the Gospel of Jesus is the essence of the New. He is the central figure and thematically dominates the entirety of the New Testament. His life, words and example are inescapably tantamount to understanding the New Testament and I encourage us all to read it at some point. Someone asked Albert Einstein if he accepted the historical Jesus and he replied: “Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” Though Einstein was not a theologian, he was known to be fairly perceptive!

The new covenant, though of Jewish inception, was progressive and inclusive of all who would believe regardless of ethnicity or origin. It is centered in submission to a Christ implanted internal code (the Holy Spirit). Its two clauses are (1) He would put His laws in our hearts and minds and (2) He would forgive our sins and remember them no more. One of the promised benefits of this new covenant was a deep relational intimacy with God being made available to all who accept and follow Christ.

I don't believe the scriptures were written for any group (conservative, moderate, or liberal) to simply use as catalog of "proof texts" for supporting pet issues or refuting those deemed as opponents in debate. Christians must discover the distilled essence of scripture and find the strong thematic dimensions of the texts that cut beyond mere cultural admonitions and reveal the heart of God for humanity. Some of this revelation is acquired through a literal approach and some by other techniques . However, "proof texting" is useful at times to illustrate the theme of any discourse. Let's simply utilize the strongest scriptural support we can for whatever religious, sociological or political issue we engage. Let's do it humbly and respectfully while acknowledging that none of us own the franchise known as True Christianity.

We have nothing to fear in taking this approach with scripture in debate. The essence of the New Testament Gospel is found in Jesus’ response to the question regarding what is the most important commandment from the Law. He said something like this, "Love God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all that is within you.” He went on to say, “and the second greatest is much like the first... Love your neighbor as you love yourself. For all the Law and the Prophets hang on this (Vance paraphrase).” This is a scriptural platform to build from. Few critics dare attack genuine sacrificial love.

Loving our neighbor disallows all injustice and acts as a guide for discovering context and softening the implications of texts we often find troubling such as those dealing with slavery and the status of women. All public policy should be examined for how proposals might bring to our neighbors what we hope for ourselves. Utilizing the theme of Matthew 25:31-46, which exhorts us unto ministering to the needs of the oppressed and needy (the least of these) is a powerful and indisputable command toward compassionate activism on many fronts. Literal texts that forbid judging others should trump literal interpretations of verses that lead to judging. Scriptures that pointedly exhort Christians to unity should cause us all to cease drawing lines in the sand between ourselves and our brothers and sisters when we differ in belief or practice.

Sometimes the scriptures are the best commentary on themselves. One writer said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Another said, “Don’t be hearers of the word only, but be doers of the word.” I believe that men and women whose hearts are inflamed with the love of Christ and neighbor will passionately pursue His justice on every front. We have inherited the Bible from noble ancestors of faith. Let’s use it wisely, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, as we continue to labor for the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth