Better Bible Reading Podcast

The Philosophical Task of the Interpreter- Culturology

Sometimes it is difficult for people to equate the ministry with the head, since the essence of spiritual life seems to have a heavy bent to wards matters of the heart. Thus, when people think of biblical interpretation, whether for practical application or ministerial/teaching tools, the emphasis is normally outside the realm of philosophical thought. However, although Christianity is much more than an intellectual pursuit, it is certainly not less than such a pursuit! The interpretive task is performed and taught by humans conscious of the world they live in, which brings Christianity into the realm of philosophy and worldview.

Orientation

That introductory paragraph is something that I am quite confident of, but not something I have always been aware of. In recent months, I have personally been forced to walk within this philosophical awareness in my own transition from a life-long upbringing in a Free-will Baptist denomination to the Presbyterian and Reformed denomination. My transition to a new denomination was possible by two factors: biblical conviction, and a growing awareness of presuppositions and culture. In God’s providence, my own transition took place in tandem with enrolling with Moody Bible Institute. How this background experience relates and informs the philosophical task of the interpreter will be made evident in the following sections.

Connections

Interpreting Scripture has taught me a necessary question to ask in the interpretive process: Is there a true correlation between philosophy, culture and spiritual formation? The textbook “Everyday Theology” has been an excellent study in seeking an informed answer to the question. Kevin J. Vanhoozer implies that this is so: “describing culture as a process of spiritual formation is not to say that we are helpless and hapless victims but rather to call our attention to the fact that spiritual formation is happening to us and to our children all the time” (31). As this process of life happens, we all develop a worldview with a growing array of presuppositions. It is simply impossible to separate this reality of human existence from our processing of information, especially when it comes to biblical interpretation. This is the subjective element of philosophy that must be realized- that everyone who comes to the text of Scripture comes with presuppositions, or to put it strongly, biases.

This philosophical awareness has flourished tremendously in this class, but it has done so from the foundation of a previous class Story and Structure of the Bible in which the textbook “Introduction to Biblical Interpretation” introduced me to the concept of presuppositions, defined as preunderstanding: “preunderstanding may be defined as a body of assumptions and attitudes which a person brings to the perception and interpretation of reality or any aspect of it” (Klein et al. 154). While this concept was a minor point in that class, I can see that it laid a healthy foundation for the cultural aspect of this class.

Insights

The way that Vanhoozer builds upon that foundation of preunderstanding and connects it to the whole pursuit of the philosophical task is by calling readers to implement Romans 12.2 in a comprehensive way:

Christians must learn to read the Bible and culture alike […] ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Rom.12.2). The apostolic exhortation confronts us with a question: In which cultural world of mea

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Today on Teaching Thursdays Peter says that we’ve spent enough time living our previous way of life- the way of this world. To do battle with the world is to be transformed by the Spirit of God and to seek God’s glory in everything. This is the essence of Romans 12:1-2 and it is the essence of Jesus’ earthly ministry: Live for the glory of God, through suffering, and contend with the world, so that the world might be saved and transformed. Additionally, along the way of suffering, we find that God loves and cares for His people- through the gifts and graces given to His people! This is the Better Bible Reading Podcast with Kevin Morris 

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What is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Bible Interpretation? Giving an Answer

It is true that many who are devoid of the Holy Spirit are nevertheless interpreters of the Bible. That reality of interpretation shows that hermeneutics is not a process restricted to whether or not one has the Holy Spirit. We must remember that false teachers have always built a system of doctrine from the scriptures (hermeneutical conclusions), but do so without the aid of the Holy Spirit, people who are as Jude plainly says "devoid of the Spirit" (Jude 1:19). James also warns that hermeneutics is more than an intellectual assent to facts when he reminds us that "even the demons believe- and shudder" (James 2:19). Therefore, Scripture presents to us that hermeneutics is a reality for both Christians and non-Christians alike. So what does the Holy Spirit do in the process of interpretation?

To put it simply, I borrow the words from Klein et al. "The Spirit convinces God's people of the truth of the biblical message, and then convicts and enables them to live consistently with that truth" (4). In other words, the Holy Spirit does the work of bringing the Word of God from our heads to our heart. There is no supernatural correlation between learning biblical Greek and the Holy Spirit any more than there is between learning English and the Holy Spirit. Though learning the biblical languages is a great help in understanding the message, it is the Holy Spirit who 'brings home' the message by teaching God's people the significance of the message. Many non-Christians have the ability to learn biblical Greek and gain an advantage in grammatical understanding of the Bible, and many non Christians have the ability to learn the historical climate of the Roman Empire, giving them an advantage in the historical understanding of the events of the New Testament. These are both elements of what we would call sound hermeneutics in the "historical and grammatical methods" (Klein et al. 13). Further, we can say along with the same authors that "The Spirit does not inform us of the Scripture's meaning." (4).

Yet, only those who have the Holy Spirit can truly have their eyes open to the beauty of God's word (Ps. 119:18) or find life and strength in the word of God (Ps. 119:25, 28). These are those supernatural interpretations within the Bible that are only through those who have the Holy Spirit. Most striking and wonderful are the words of Jesus regarding this subject: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come" (John 16:13). And to be sure that this 'truth' spoken of by Jesus relates to the Bible, He later says plainly "Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

So then a quick summary. Although it is not wrong to pray to God and ask Him for help in understanding the intellectual side of hermeneutics (grammar, context, history, etc... ), and although He may be pleased to help us, we do not say that this is the direct role of  the Holy Spirit in hermeneutics since people may do well in these interpretive categories who do not have the Holy Spirit and would not hesitate to identify as non-Christian. This is the so called 'limitation' of the Holy Spirit. Yet these same people cannot meditate on the Bible, nor pray through the process of reading the text for illumination, nor see the practical implications for the text upon their own lives (their vocation, family, work, town, etc...). They are also not involved in the hermeneutics that brings conviction of sin and the glories of God in Christ. Instead, these are all the work an

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Interpreting the Bible and Culture- Culturology

The interpretation of culture and the Bible are two disciplines which work to arrive at meaning. This represents a presupposition of an objective quality, both in cultural texts and biblical texts. That is to say, there is a tangible, definitive message in cultural texts and biblical texts that can be interpreted, else the disciplines of interpretation would be exercises in vanity and uncertainty. To understand both disciplines properly, they must be explored in their relative qualities, not only in the way that they are similarly performed, but also in the way in which they overlap in the interpretive process.

First, the terms should be defined. Cultural interpretation is that which seeks to uncover the worldview behind a cultural text, in the cultural text, and brought out from the cultural text (Vanhoozer et al. 45). Biblical interpretation consists of uncovering the meaning of the biblical text, both in content and context. This is normally performed by a step by step process, such as investigating the categories of culture, time, and situation (Duvall and Hays 41).

Since a cultural text is sometimes abstract, consisting of an icon or word, it is important to understand where it comes from, what it is, and where it is going. This lends to a multiperspectival interpretation, meaning that right interpretation occurs by utilizing multiple disciplines to uncover the thickness of what is occurring in any given cultural text (Vanhoozer et al. 45). In concise terms, a cultural text comes from a worldview of the author(s), contains a worldview in the text itself, and seeks to cultivate a worldview in the reader(s).

In like manner, biblical interpretation considers the content alongside the context of the author and the audience. Furthermore, the implications of the text are also explored, investigating the impact and significance upon contemporary readers, commonly defined as application. What can be noticed in both cultural and biblical interpretation is the presence of culture within the interpretive process. In cultural interpretation, culture is the object; in biblical interpretation, culture is the subject. Nevertheless, culture is that which must be dealt with if meaningful interpretation is to be performed. In the process of biblical interpretation, culture is an element of separation between then and today. Consequently, biblical interpretation does not understand meaning without understanding right application of the text, which can only be done when one properly understands their own contemporary culture. Thus, there is a front-end element of culture and a back-end element of culture, whereby the interpreter must do due diligence in understanding the original cultural audience and the contemporary cultural audience.

In like manner, cultural texts can only be significant if the meaning of the text is understood alongside the cultural context. The cultural icon of Walmart’s yellow smiley face is largely insignificant if the reader does not understand the cultural context that it represents and the world it promises to create in its customers (i.e. low-price purchase options). Conversely, the biblical text, “When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’” (English Standard Version, John 11.43) is largely insignificant if the context of the statement is not understood, such as Jesus being the speaker, Lazarus being called to come to life, and the presence of a watching crowd. Contextual understanding is required both in the interpretation of culture and the Bibl

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Today on Teaching Thursdays, we find Psalm 34:12-16 at the heart of Peter’s point in the text. To understand his command and encouragement to us, we should take some time to look at this section of Psalm 34. The main point to notice is the active obedience that it calls us to.

We will not be joyful sufferers by being passive- we must be active! Not merely to refrain from returning evil, but to bless! Not merely to turn from evil, but to do good! Not merely to refrain from violence, but to seek peace! If we do this, we will not grow weary when unjust suffering comes our way. This is the Better Bible Reading Podcast with Kevin Morris 

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Should People Read the Bible Differently? Giving an Answer

The "ideal" approach to reading the Bible varies from person to person. To be sure, there are different measures to be taken by a pastor who is studying the Bible for an upcoming sermon and a teenager who reads most days during the week, yet there should be a particular set of qualities that are present and a balance to found that is structured but not mechanical. Here are some in no particular order:

1. The Bible reader understands that Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3.16). Paul articulates that this should cause the reader to seek teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
2. An ideal reader approaches the text both as a student (2 Tim. 2.15), and in order to be exposed for the purpose of being discipline (Heb. 4.12). To put it another way, the ideal reader wants the text to read them!
3. The reader knows that he or she is just that, a Bible reader, not a Bible writer. Our reading summarized this well: "meaning resides in the text, and our objective is to discover it, at least to the extent that we are able to recover it in the text [...] We do not create the message; rather, we seek to discover what is already there" (Klein et al. 170). As an "ideal" but not an absolute necessity, I would suggest that the reader develop interpretive qualities within the historical-grammatical hermeneutic.

The ideal Bible reader has a passion and devotion to the Bible as being truth (John 17.17). This truth is theological and historical and sets apart Bible interpreters from interpreters of other literary genres. Shakespeare for example wrote many notable works of literature, but they never maintain to be truth. Tragedies such as "Hamlet" are not intended by Shakespeare to transform his audience and one could well enjoy the written works of Shakespeare with no regard to Shakespeare as the man historically. Literary fiction is written with the expressed purpose of entertainment. The Bible on the other hand never intends to be fictional or entertainment-based. It is presented to its readers as revelatory and transformative. This means that its readers and interpreters are involved in something that transcends other literary categories of reading and interpretation.

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Dynamic Diversity According to the Bible- Culturology

Dynamic Diversity, written by Bruce Milne, is based on the thesis that the church is meant to be a center of reconciliation. This idea of a reconciliation center is predicated upon the vast division in society, division which is normally comprised of the four major categories of class, age, race, and gender. According to Milne, a center of reconciliation is a place which seeks to reconcile the divides found in those four categories (Milne 14). In other words, a center of reconciliation is meant to either mend, bridge, or even transcend these categories of division and/or distinction, to borrow the verbs used by Milne. What follows is a brief summary of the book, interjecting some thematic and practical points related to Milne’s thesis.

Milne begins by noting that the way to bridge these points of division expressed in class, age, race and gender is first and foremost a conceptual approach to the global nature of the church:

This book is written in the conviction that the divine mystery, the diversity in unity of the people of God in Christ, need not be confined to the global stage, nor need it be deferred to the future age of glory. Rather it can be experienced today, in embryo, in every local Christian congregation on the face of the earth. (9)

Milne stresses that the church must recognize the diverse nature of Jesus’ new humanity on the global scale in order to bring about real change and conformity to this reality within their own congregations. He makes a strong case of why this is necessary by noting that this was indeed a reality among the early church across the Roman Empire and beyond (10). To be clear, notions of diversity expressed in church history are often followed with calls to abandon orthodoxy for the sake of ecumenical renderings. A refreshing point in Milne’s argument is that he opts not to abandon orthodoxy, but rather to follow it to the logical conclusion of unified diversity in the new humanity. He does this by savoring the truth of this among the people of God among the first two chapters, followed by suggesting the embrace of orthodox theology as necessary for unity: “this new-humanity, unity-in-diversity, together-under-Christ model receives significant support from primary Christian beliefs […] theology buttresses the exegetical conclusions reached in the first two chapters” (53).

Milne then goes on to speak of the contours found in the Apostle’s Creed, including the wonder of the Trinity, the atonement, and the church to name a few.  The next two chapters move to speak of the global approach of forming and structuring congregations, as well as a reaffirmation of the historical witnesses of global structures in the church. The argument is essentially, if the world around us is more globalized as ever (Ch. 4) and the early church was able to comprise itself in such a way before the globalization of the 21st century (Ch. 5), then the church today has no excuse not to be diversified in its structure. While this is his argument, Milne admits that this is an argument from cultural trajectories and history, not from a mandate in scripture (73-74). Chapter six offers some transitional material, along with some practical considerations for how the church can more readily be unified along denominational lines. Perhaps the strongest point in that short chapter is his point on the usefulness of denominations: “Denominations are commonly seen today as having only a limited shelf-life; however, at the very least, they provide a sense of identity and belonging, a family of kindred congregations” (99). In many ways, the content in thi

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Do Genres Matter in the Bible? Giving an Answer

Although the Bible doesn't self-identify as a library of sorts, it does come with the basic communication to the reader that a particular book should be understood on its own terms of genre. For example, there are cues throughout the text of scripture to demonstrate genre to the reader:

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1.1 ESV) This communicates that this book is "gospel" and is told to us by way of recounting and tracing the origins of this gospel. In literary terms, we can call this gospel narrative.

"Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1.1 ESV) This comes in the form of a letter or epistle and is thus categorized as epistle.

Genre as a way to categorize and identify literature is an extension of the study of context. Genre seems to identify the occasion for writing by the author of the text and signals to the reader their intent of communication. This of course has great impact on those who study the Bible. I can understand 2 Thessalonians much better if I can identify "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat" (2 Thess. 3.10) as a straightforward truth in an epistle. If I am unaware of where this verse comes from when isolated from its genre, I may be tempted to spiritualize the phrase or suppose that it is a proverbial saying.

This becomes essential when preaching the Bible. Consider for example the great argument over Acts 2 during Pentecost. Suppose a pastor decides to preach on this text; how he applies and communicates the truth of speaking in tongues after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles will likely correlate to how he views Acts in terms of its genre. Is Acts meant to be descriptive to the congregation for information, prescriptive for emulation, or somewhere inbetween? Of course the whole idea of preunderstandings and denomination affiliations plays a role in this as well, but to see Acts' own genre may in fact help to settle the issue. Viewing the introduction to Luke/Acts demonstrates that the genre of the book is that of a historical account to inform and encourage the reader. In other words, the genre is identified largely in descriptive terms. A pastor's knowledge of this will influence how he preaches the text.

I remember as an associate pastor preaching on Isaiah 1 about two years ago to a congregation in my hometown. I wanted to communicate the practical implications for our people to hear some of the sobering warnings that God had to say to His people. But being able to teach that chapter faithfully required me to understand that Isaiah is a prophetic genre, but one that also reflects heavily upon the historical genre of 1 Kings/ 1 Chronicles.

Genre is certainly a means to better understanding of the Bible in the personal, congregational and practical dimensions of life!

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Unity and Diversity in Truth- Culturology

The book of Romans speaks of the universe as the created order which God displays and reveals Himself to His creation. It has often been the prerogative of theologians to stress that the teaching of Romans is that which is called natural revelation, in contrast to special revelation. Natural revelation, it is said, is the revelation of God which is manifest and accessible to all, regardless of whether someone has saving knowledge of God. One could say, natural revelation is the truth of God’s existence, but special revelation is needed to dive deeper into the truths such as atonement, and even the Trinitarian personhood of the Godhead. 

However, it is not a necessary consequence that natural revelation leads mankind short of a deeper knowledge of who God is. Take for example the passage in Romans 1 which is the predominant conversation piece in natural revelation: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1.20). This passage emphasizes that God’s creation reveal not only the fact of His existence but even his divine nature. 

Working forward from this truth, consider the notion of the universe itself. The universe is so named because it represents a convergence of unity and diversity. If the creation is a display of unity and diversity together, does not the principle in Romans 1 imply that this display of unity and diversity in creation is also a display of the unity and diversity in the Creator? If so, the conclusion that God is both unity and diversity is something revealed to man in natural revelation. Of course, this notion of unity and diversity in God is perfectly displayed in Trinitarian theology- that God is one in essence (unity) and three in persons (diversity).

However, God is not only the highest example of unity and diversity; He is also the greatest representation of unity and diversity. This is because the created order which is meant to display the wonder and glory of God is tainted by sin. And while the wonder and glory of God is not lost in the unity and diversity of His created order, it is often distorted. As such, creation often displays diversity with a notable absence of unity. In the Godhead, there is never the absence of unity but rather, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are always operating in absolute unity, though they are diverse persons. 

What then does this mean for Christians in attempting to display a proper balance of unity and diversity in churches and as a witness to the world? A helpful passage to consider is Galatians 3:27-29, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”. Of course the context of this passage is important, for Paul is dealing with various Gentile Christians scattered throughout Galatia and writing to them about their equal standing with God as Abraham’s offspring, just like the ethnic Jews. His point is to denounce the notion that God shows partiality in ethnicity, social class, and gender. Rather, Christian identity is founded upon belonging to Jesus Christ. 

Personally

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How can I balance planning and walking by faith?

This is quite a sobering discussion question, yet I surmise that Christians must reckon with such a question if we hope to be faithful and effective in life that is by and large unpredictable. I would like to suggest four particular texts that have meant much to me over the last six years of ministry:

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand." -Proverbs 19.21

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" 1 Corinthians 10.31

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" 1 Corinthians 15.10

"Come now you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? for you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that" James 4.13-15

I think the Bible teaches us that it is wise to plan and anticipate the natural progression of life, especially since there is such discouragement towards laziness. However, God's movement in our own lives is just that- God's- and thus we as finite creatures can never anticpate each and every redirection and road block that may come into play. Yet, this is not owing to a God who is bored with mundane and seeks to get excitement by ruining our plans. Instead it is owing to God's grace that He in His providence is willing to direct us by leading us into that which we could never expect and keeping us from that which would be more damaging to us than we could ever imagine. The warning from the above texts form a singular summary: 1. Trust in God's providence, 2. Ensure that all of your plans are centered on honoring God, 3. Rely in God's grace to establish you in a direction you never expected and 4. Never give in to plans that usurp God's authority.

The beauty of God's providence and sovereignty is that He will bring His plans to pass. In my own life, I served as a pastor for six years before being convinced that God was ultimately calling me to a future in academic ministry as a professor. Had I known that six years ago, I wouldn've gotten a much earlier start on my education beyond high school. As a 26-year-old I have roughly ten years until I reach my goal of obtaining a PhD to validate me as a scholar and open up possibilities as a seminary professor. I could become greatly discouraged that this is so long from being realized, but "by the grace of God, I am what I am" and I must trust that because of God's providence, he redirected me from the path I was taking and placed me upon a path I am now on, for His glory. If this was all due to my own wisdom and ability, I would have reason to be discouraged and fearful of the future. But it is due to the crucial role of God's grace placed upon His children that He knows not only what is best, but when that should take place.

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