Herme – What?
Posted by Matt in Classes, SeminaryMay 19th, 2009 | 5 responsesHermeneutics. That’s the new word in my life. While I have heard this word before and thought I understood it’s meaning, the very first reading in my BI 501 course really blew me away. Why should it, though – it’s just a word, right? Not if you really think about it. You see, so many times we read the bible and take what is there at face value without any consideration of the time in which it was written, to whom it was written, by whom it was written, under what circumstances, etc. etc.
Is that the proper way to read the bible? I read a great article on this just yesterday on the Parchment and Pen blog (I am an avid reader of this blog). This article along with what I read for class yesterday has really challenged me. One of the quotes in the class I heard yesterday really puts this into perspective:
“Wonderful things in the Scripture I see. Most of them put there by you and by me.”
So where do we go from here then? A great question and one that I will obviously be delving into more as this class goes on and well into the future. The one question that I have is why don’t we normally hear this in church on Sunday mornings? Not that we are all called to be biblical scholars, but so many times we are just taught to read what is there and apply it to our lives without any consideration for the context.
Do I believe that God can speak to us individually through the scriptures? Of course I do! Do I think that when 2 people read it they will get 2 opposing, but true meanings? Absolutely not. One issue with this for me is the fact that we as Christians tend to use the scriptures to validate an already held belief or to justify our behavior. While that may not be our intent (though if we are completely honest, often it is), I think that happens more than we realize.
It is now that I am finally beginning to understand why so much material has been written about this single book, our “love letter from God”, if you will.
5 Responses to “Herme – What?”
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About Me
Hey, thanks for posting the link!
Are you at Denver Seminary?
If so, let Mark Young know I said hello. Mark is a great friend.
Michael
I’m not there yet – my family and I are currently living on the island of Crete, so I am doing what I can now through the online classes Denver Seminary offers and then at some point will be moving to Denver to complete the rest of my MDiv course. Parchment and Pen is a fantastic, thought provoking blog!
I must admit that I am also increasing my understanding of my understanding. I realize that my knowledge of the bible has been very basic, almost superficial. I have a hard time with what I call “scripture pulling”. I’m sure there is a technical term, but I think of it as the phenomena of a person looking through the bible to find a particular scripture – Word of God to back up their perspective and to justify behavior. If God is with you, who can be against you. Ah, but it is difficult to recognize inconsistencies in ourselves. It is so much easier to locate a scripture and wield it as our sword to defend our positions. I imagine someone pulling out a pocket bible and saying “Wait a minute, let’s see, oh yeah the bible says that I can cut you off in traffic.” Perhaps not to that extreme, but nearly so.
Although I’m the one taking a break from the wonderful world of academia, I intend to piggyback on your experiences and growth. The good news for me is that I don’t have to do all the writing and the work (again). It brings me great joy that you have taken on this endeavor. I realize that that our precious family is a big target for spiritual warfare, at this present time in fact. We are behind you every step of the way. The Lord does guide our path.
Matt…
Oh wait until you see all the useful and useless knowledge that will pile up inside that head of yours. Harry cannot go a day without “educating” me on something from seminary. Oh the days of Greek and Hebrew classes.
Ginger… a few lessons I learned early on:
1. stay away during mid-terms
2. leave the state of country during finals week
3. do not engage in the philosophical questions brought home by seminary students… they just want to go round and round on purpose
4. having the “study group” will immediately evoke the great thinkers to debate for hours
5. please pay close attention to #2
Congrats Matt and enjoy the ride… ups and downs… Greek and Hebrew… and many, many more theological terms tossed your way.
Blessings and we love you guys,
Kristie
Ευχαριστώ!