Context, interpretation, and application Behind many of the debates that Christians have about the Bible, there is an important but unstated assumption: that interpretation is inseparable from application and that context is important to both.
Reading the Gospels for all they’re worth Joseph Lear: My hope is that this post points to the importance of reading and rereading biblical narrative, searching for Scripture's internal unity.
The Bible in the Life of the Church: a response Robert MacSwain: I thought it would be a helpful contribution to the current conversation on Scripture to direct readers to the "Ten Themes" and "Seven Principles" of Anglican biblical interpretation that were identified by the Anglican Communion's "Bible in the Life of the Church" project.
Top 10 rules for reading the Bible Reading the Bible is often a challenge. It can be confusing and troubling, and it is easy to be deceived. These ten guidelines are not the Alpha and Omega of successful biblical interpretation. But perhaps they are useful touchstones.
The Word and literalism As we speak after the Word’s example, often repeating what he said, we curiously understand him still to be himself speaking as well — inviting, permitting, and even uttering our speech through us.
Things Episcopalians say (1): “Not literally.” Seriously? A serious reader of the Bible, whether a literalist or not, will find a lifetime of problems in it. I just don’t meet many Episcopalians who actually have these problems. They have heard about the problems, about like they have heard tell of Crusades and an Inquisition.
God in the Old Testament It’s a clear and crisp morning here in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. I’m on site at St. Thomas’ Church for an exciting Biblical Studies conference entitled “Making Sense of the God of the Old Testament.” For the next two days, I’ll be checking in on Covenant with some “Conference Notes,” including excerpts from interviews with Old Testament Professors Walter Brueggemann, Pete Enns, and Carolyn Sharp, as well as my host, Fr. Marek Zabriskie, rector of St. Thomas’ and founder of the Center Biblical Studies (CBS).
