Psalm 119:83 – Burned Up (and Out)
I discuss the difficulty of interpreting certain biblical passages, emphasizing the uncertainty in translations and the need for broader understanding while maintaining dependence on God for truth.
Literal Problems, Literally
I found Should we read the Bible literally via Facebook, and want to commend it to my readers. I can’t tell for sure, but I suspect the writer is perhaps more conservative than I am, yet he makes many points I frequently try to make. I think he may be a bit too optimistic on…
Eschatology: They Remembered Him
I had hoped to do a bit more writing on how we interpret the Bible before tonight’s discussion. In diving into teaching a bit on eschatology, I have come to feel a bit like someone who has encountered one of the versions of the certification test for senior generalists, or the ultimate final exam. (You’ll…
Book Extract: Interpreting Experience
The following is an extract from Philosophy for Believers by Edward W. H. Vick, pp. 122-123. I’m the publisher. I was reading this section as I was thinking about my study in According to John tonight (Jan. 22, 2015). How does experience relate to the development of religions doctrine? 8 Experience and Interpretation Question: How…
My Own Custom Bible
I have in my inbox an e-mail sent on behalf of the American Bible Society. The subject line reads: “Create your own Custom Bible from American Bible Society.” I suspect some folks are thinking I’m going to draw the obvious lesson that we shouldn’t have our own custom Bible. After all, the correct Sunday School…
Book Extract: Discerning Interpretations
Many teachers and preachers speak with great authority and then say, “This is not me speaking. I’m only telling you what the Bible says.” But that assertion is always dangerous. When we apply the Bible to any particular situation we are interpreting. This is another case when one’s words can seem very pious, but actually…
Revelation Requires Interaction
In my book When People Speak for God I used the story of the one-ended telephone cord. Edward Vick makes the same point in much more profound language than I used. But even should someone intend to make known to me what I would otherwise never come to discover by myself, I shall not in…
Can One Be a Bibleist?
I received a link to the following video in a tweet from @TheActiveWord. It seems so closely related to my last post that I’d include it here: There are several things I agree with here. First, I do believe that the Bible has the sovereignty of God and the responsibility (of which some sort of…
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Interpreting the Bible VIII: Biblical Literalism, Attitude, and Avoidance
This is a continuation of my series on interpreting the Bible. The first post in the series is Interpreting the Bible I: Obvious Exegesis, while the most recent one was Interpreting the Bible VII: Christians Contribute to Confusion. As a reminder, my starting point was a number of comments that suggested that those who take…
The Bible, Christianity, and Me (Briefly)
I have seen a few comments lately from both sides of the spectrum about just where the Bible should stand in relation to Christianity and to a person’s personal beliefs. It seems that not only are Christians willing to define the role of the Bible for other Christians, but non-Christians try to explain to Christians,…