MWR : Bible or culture?

Last updated November 24.

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June 8, 2009 issue

Bible or culture?

By Simon Schrock Catlett, Va.

Several letters in recent issues have raised the gay issue to a different level. Robert Kauffman believes “we cannot use the Bible as a legalistic guide to belief and behavior.” Alongside this letter, five people from Iowa state their belief that “the Bible is still relevant today.” Ray Horst refers to “wider grace.” Kauffman refers to “requiring women to wear head coverings” and “not to wear jewelry” and says, “I thought we were past that type of literal interpretation.” Both Kauffman and Horst refer to divorce and remarriage. Since these issues have been accepted through the “cultural and historical context” of the Bible, then others should be decided on the same basis. Culture and history become the guiding principles.

These responses raise the issue: Do I believe the Bible can be trusted as my guide in belief and practice, or do I have to sort through the cultural and historical context and decide what I want to accept? Do you hold the issues under the magnifying glass of the Bible, or do you try to read the Bible through the foggy lens of the issues?

Reading the Bible through the foggy lens of culture feels like never coming to the knowledge of the truth. For example, reading the Bible through the American flag gives me a different picture than looking at the flag through the teachings of the Bible. The same applies to the gay issue. Examining the issue under the magnifying glass of the Bible gives a different perspective from looking at Bible through the lens of psychology.

The real issue is whether you believe the Bible is relevant today and you can trust it to literally live by it, or whether you believe you must sort through culture and history to know the truth.

Comments

Thank You Simon.

- Lloyd Gingrich (jun 5 at 7:34 a.m.)
Mr. Schrock lays out a full plate of what Christians must digest if we truthfully plan to claim salvation. Sorting anything out through "foggy lens" is at best, a big gamble, especially when we are dealing with eternity. Our political climate advertises "change" and chances for new freedom for everyone. We can do little more at present than to pray for a supreme court that will read the constitution instead of interpret it through foggy lens. Like many others, we are still learning the truths in the scriptures and prefer to believe what we read through crystal clear lens.

- Eldon Janzen (jun 5 at 2:37 p.m.)
The fact is that no one has ever in the history of the Christian church ever read the Bible literally through and through. The question becomes what is the interpretive center through which we read the Bible and that center is for us the person and work of Jesus.

It strikes me that so many hot button issues are actually hermeneutical issues and THAT is something that is not being discussed. The Bible must be interpretd, how we interpret it is something we Mennonites must spend significant time working through and that means a lot of hard theological work. Can we do this?

- michael hardin (jun 6 at 12:07 p.m.)

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