Scripture in the Church:
Contemporary Issues of
Biblical Interpretation and Theology
These topics deal both with larger issues of biblical interpretation
in the church that have become contentious, such as the authorship of
Isaiah, and also with issues that arise from misunderstanding or
misinterpretation of specific biblical passages.
General
Essay recounting an adult Christian's lack of
knowledge or interest in Scripture, and her subsequent awakening to the
relevance and depth of Scripture in a college Bible course
Reflections on the importance of critical Bible study
and its challenges for beginning students.
A detailed look at the popular concepts surrounding
the Second Coming, the millennial
reign of Christ, and the rapture with an analysis of their biblical
basis from a Wesleyan theological perspective.
A critique of the susceptibility of Christians to the
phenomenon of urban legends, with a detailed analysis of one example
concerning prophecy and Iraq.
Short essay dealing with the tensions arising between
the dichotomous and trichotomous view of human beings grounded in a
metaphysical dualism and the biblical perspective that does not assume
such a view of reality.
A brief examination of the differences between these
two ways of reading Scripture, and the problems created when they are
confused.
Examines three major problems with assuming that the
literal or "plain sense" of the text is the best way to read and interpret
Scripture, also noting that the classical "plain sense" reading was in
opposition to allegory and dogma, not careful biblical study.
A reflective look at prayer in light of our
expectations for how prayer should "work" and some biblical perspectives.
A Discussion of the roots of the debate about biblical
inerrancy, its impact on the church, the relation to various
theories of inspirations, and inerrancy in relation to Faith
Statements about Scripture.
An analysis of the logical and theological problems
with positing inerrant autographs for the Bible. An Excerpt from The Modern Inerrancy Debate.
Some issues evangelicals face in interpreting
Scripture, including assumptions, lack of historical knowledge,
misunderstanding of the nature of Scripture, and lack of critical
engagement with the text, along with suggestions for how to overcome
some of these issues.
A contrast of prophetic and apocalyptic
perspectives on the future work of God, the confusion of which can lead to distortion and perversion
of the biblical message.
Brief discussion of the "word of God" including the
difference between Jesus as the Incarnate Word and the Bible as God's
word, and the use of logos in John's Gospel.
A short article on the theological meaning behind the
OT idea of God as a jealous God in light of modern misunderstanding of
the description.
Translation and meaning of the Hebrew term Sheol and
the Greek term Hades, especially in reference to the phrase "He
descended into hell" in the traditional version of the Apostles' Creed.
An essay on the influence of basically Calvinistic
fundamentalist and neo-fundamentalist agendas in Wesleyan churches,
using the example of Focus on the Family's attack on the TNIV gender
inclusive Bible translation; includes a brief definition of
neo-fundamentalism.
Short essay contrasting theology seen as absolute
truth and theology understood as testimony conditioned by time and
place.
Old Testament
An analysis of four Old Testament passages that use
'us' to refer to God, concluding that they are cultural metaphors drawn
from the imagery of God as a high king.
An examination of two Old Testament passages that
deal with God learning something about humanity, against the background
of the traditional concepts of God's omniscience. Concludes that the
biblical witness portrays a God who is dynamically interactive with
humanity.
The traditional translation "Red Sea" in the Exodus
account has led to unnecessary debate; the text actually reads "sea of
reeds" and its location is unknown.
An analysis of the Israelite appropriation of
metaphors, symbols, and conceptual categories from the "pool" of ancient
Middle Eastern culture, noting both the similarities and differences,
and the implications both for understanding the OT, as well as for
addressing the modern conflict of science and religion.
A graphic to go with the article "Speaking
the Language of Canaan," comparing various ways of understanding and
talking about the physical world.
Examines God's apparent orders in
Scripture for the Israelites to slaughter the Canaanites; from the
perspective of the nature of the biblical witness to God, as well as the
cultural and literary aspects of the Old Testament.
Short article dealing with the problem of Jephtheh's
vow to sacrifice his daughter (Judges 11:21-40).
A survey of the evidence for seeing the Book of Isaiah
as a dynamic witness to God's work in the community of faith across 250
years of history, including an examination of the assumptions that have
caused this topic to be so divisive in the church; this article takes the
position that there is a theological unity to the book rather than a
historical unity.
An analysis of the meaning of "circle of the earth"
in Isa 40:22, concluding that the word translated "circle" refers to the
horizon.
A reflective essay on the role of Israel's prophets,
and what role a prophetic voice might play in the church today.
A brief analysis of Deuteronomy 18:22, examining the
claim that it proves Old Testament prophecy is primarily predictive.
Essay on the role of Old Testament prophets as
covenant mediators and interpreters of history rather than seeing
prophecy as absolute prediction of the future.
A reflective article addressing the tendency of
religious traditions to drift from their original purpose and vision as
they move further away from their origins; based on Nehemiah 13, in which
the crisis of identity and survival facing the post exilic community
became the stimulus for some rather strong action by Nehemiah.
An examination of some facts about the use of satan
in the Old testament, reflections about cultural context, concluding
with observations about the relationship of cultural context and
ministry.
New Testament
Examination of the popular idea of "born Again" used
by some evangelicals, its biblical background, and what the biblical and
traditional concept of "new birth" means.
A concise contextual analysis of the church's
responsibility to 'bind' and 'loose' related to modern ethical
application of biblical principles within a Community of Faith.
A contextual analysis of Matthew 21:21 in terms of
the common "word of faith" interpretation.
Brief comments about Jesus' cry from the cross,
suggesting that the traditional interpretation that God abandoned Jesus
is inadequate.
Examines the assumed tension between
Paul and James on the law; concludes that they are addressing different
issues with the supposed tension arising from the Reformers projecting
their own context into the text.
Brief examination of the meaning of Jesus' comment in
Matthew 23 not to call anyone "father" or "teacher," in light on
anti-Catholic bias.
A contextual and theological examination of Paul's
advice to the Corinthians, "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers"
in light of modern legalistic use of the verse.
A detailed look at the popular concepts surrounding
the Second Coming, the millennial
reign of Christ, and the rapture with an analysis of their biblical
basis from a Wesleyan theological perspective.
Short essay dealing with the misperception that every
person must hear the Gospel before the Second Coming of Jesus can occur.
For other
topics that might be relevant, see Short Bible
Topics
-Dennis Bratcher, Copyright ©
2016, Dennis
Bratcher - All Rights Reserved
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