It’s no surprise that I like this, considering it’s N. T. Wright. I like reading or listening to him even when I disagree. (HT: Allan Bevere)
While I like his comments in general, I’m particularly interested in his approach to deriving his point from scripture.
He goes first to the story. What was it that Paul did. That leads him to Romans 16:7, certainly a controversial story, though I agree with Wright’s take on it. Then he goes to the overarching story by rooting his idea in the resurrection and the persons who proclaimed it. Finally, he looks at 1 Timothy 2 and sees it in the context of these two larger stories.
This process leaves us more subject to theological reflection than would a direct text->doctrine approach, but it helps us resolve the question of what constitutes advice for a particular time and place and what is a broader principle.
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