http://johnorr.me.uk/2008/10/07/biblical-interpretation-again/ Random mutterings and musings of mine - a work in progress Tue, 08 May 2012 19:55:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 http://johnorr.me.uk/2008/10/07/biblical-interpretation-again/comment-page-1/#comment-2022 David Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:42:36 +0000 http://johnorr.me.uk/?p=214#comment-2022 absolute liberalism....something of an oxymoron perhaps !?! Spirit...what else can scholarship be if not inspired ? Isn't that the core of the excitement of 'new' discoveries/thoughts ? truth...our culture does indeed look for singular truths. Black and white theologies are the ones that people feel safe accepting. Pity we live in a world of colour, though. absolute liberalism….something of an oxymoron perhaps !?!
Spirit…what else can scholarship be if not inspired ? Isn’t that the core of the excitement of ‘new’ discoveries/thoughts ?
truth…our culture does indeed look for singular truths. Black and white theologies are the ones that people feel safe accepting. Pity we live in a world of colour, though.

]]> http://johnorr.me.uk/2008/10/07/biblical-interpretation-again/comment-page-1/#comment-2021 John Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:16:33 +0000 http://johnorr.me.uk/?p=214#comment-2021 'Truth'... I think that you've highlighted one of the key issues. Scholars <em>do</em> want a single or absolute truth if, for no other reason, than to justify their own research. The rest of us, to a degree, suffer from that. Our culture and climate expects 'the right answer', from science, from ethics, from education. We've lost much of the richness of metaphor and allegory. I think you only have to look at much of the debate within Christian circles to see how damaging 'absolutes' are. But, once again, we're back to striking a balance between absolutes and 'woolly liberalism'. What we need is absolute liberalism ;) 'Spirit'... I hadn't given a thought to the notion of 'inspired' scholarship. It's a fair point. Maybe I've just been too exposed to academia where, whilst it's not denied outright, the idea of inspired scholarship is not considered a serious option. You're more generous than I am I think. ‘Truth’… I think that you’ve highlighted one of the key issues. Scholars do want a single or absolute truth if, for no other reason, than to justify their own research. The rest of us, to a degree, suffer from that. Our culture and climate expects ‘the right answer’, from science, from ethics, from education. We’ve lost much of the richness of metaphor and allegory. I think you only have to look at much of the debate within Christian circles to see how damaging ‘absolutes’ are. But, once again, we’re back to striking a balance between absolutes and ‘woolly liberalism’. What we need is absolute liberalism
‘Spirit’… I hadn’t given a thought to the notion of ‘inspired’ scholarship. It’s a fair point. Maybe I’ve just been too exposed to academia where, whilst it’s not denied outright, the idea of inspired scholarship is not considered a serious option. You’re more generous than I am I think.

]]> http://johnorr.me.uk/2008/10/07/biblical-interpretation-again/comment-page-1/#comment-2018 David Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:35:40 +0000 http://johnorr.me.uk/?p=214#comment-2018 Ah truth.... 'It has to be relevant to me' - practical theology rears its head I think. Any given text will have shades of meaning depending on what a given reader brings to it at a given time and a given place. (Reader-response?) Is there such a thing as an absolute truth when speaking of Biblical studies ? This opens the door to systematics (drat).... You speak of previous work as somehow denying the present work of the Spirit. The Spirit was at work in the past to bring that scholarship to us, so that may be doing a disservice to the H.S. Or have I done you a disservice ? Ah truth….
‘It has to be relevant to me’ – practical theology rears its head I think. Any given text will have shades of meaning depending on what a given reader brings to it at a given time and a given place. (Reader-response?) Is there such a thing as an absolute truth when speaking of Biblical studies ? This opens the door to systematics (drat)….
You speak of previous work as somehow denying the present work of the Spirit. The Spirit was at work in the past to bring that scholarship to us, so that may be doing a disservice to the H.S. Or have I done you a disservice ?

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