Scriptural interpretation has been a dividing (and uniting) issue among Christians going back to the very beginnings of the church catholic (universal). While Protestants left the Roman Catholic Church because of the alternate sources of authority used to subvert the scriptures, not all Protestant covenant bodies are of one mind about the role that other sources of authority play in the lives of individuals and local churches.

The United Methodist Church fell apart because the authoritative sources for doctrine and knowledge of God became too broad and schizophrenic. Those of us who left have hoped for a shared worldview that will bind us together. Much of this has to do with a submissive posture we should hold to the scriptures.

It is one thing to say that, but quite another to live that. Many people who claim to read the ‘plain meaning’ of scripture happen to disagree about a number of things. Moreover, there is this concept sometimes called the ‘consensual tradition,’ which hypothetically offers a trustworthy lens through which to read the scriptures.

Can we read the scriptures without a mediating lens? Can the Methodist tradition develop or revert into a more scripturally-faithful tradition? We cover these topics and a lot more in this conversation. Buckle up.

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