Backwards, Part II
I believe that we have become almost incapable of interpreting Scripture except through the eyes of Paul. Not that Paul is a bad guy. Not that Paul's writings aren't a crucial part of the Bible. It's just that Paul interprets the gospel to how it applies to organization. That's not bad, but that was contextual to Paul's world at the time.
It seems to me that we, however, can no longer read the Bible apart from the lens of the organization...the church. So we miss the point. We don't understand the radical nature of the gospel...the message of Jesus.
My prayer is that I might be able to start to read the Bible with fresh eyes...not the eyes of the organizational church, but the eyes of one simply seeking to follow Christ....
2 comments:
Folks like Yoder, Oden, Hauerwas, Willimon, Webber, Dawn, etc. all argue that we MUST read the Bible through the lens of the Body of Christ, through the Great Tradition of the Church (and, for us, through the lens of folks like the Wesley boys, Miley, etc.). They maintain that we are not disciples of Jesus in a vaccuum, but in a community with a history. I agree with that.
But I also agree with your IMPLICATION that the institutional Church is not (always necessarily) the same as the Church as the Body of Christ. Is that fair? More ancient & solid Tradition, less institutional wisdom?
Agreed...fair.
Post a Comment