After hearing quite a bit about biblical interpretation this past week-end, my daughter made an interesting observation. "Why do mystics read into the Bible when they don't read everything else that way?"
Good question, no?
Can you imagine any Christian, mystic or otherwise, taking liberties with a memo from his boss, a contract with a client, or the 1040 tax form? What about an email or a handwritten letter? If my friend is writing about a walk around the lake, would I dare assume that it's an allegory for her journey through life? Ridiculous!
Then why on earth do we take liberties when we read God's Word? It seems a bit arrogant and presumptuous to me. If we're willing to respect the intent of the memo, the terms of the contract, and the tax laws (perhaps grudgingly), shouldn't God's Word afford the same if not more honor? Rather than reading between the lines for some deeper, ooh-ahh meaning, maybe we should learn to read His Word for what it says and obey.
Good question, no?
Can you imagine any Christian, mystic or otherwise, taking liberties with a memo from his boss, a contract with a client, or the 1040 tax form? What about an email or a handwritten letter? If my friend is writing about a walk around the lake, would I dare assume that it's an allegory for her journey through life? Ridiculous!
Then why on earth do we take liberties when we read God's Word? It seems a bit arrogant and presumptuous to me. If we're willing to respect the intent of the memo, the terms of the contract, and the tax laws (perhaps grudgingly), shouldn't God's Word afford the same if not more honor? Rather than reading between the lines for some deeper, ooh-ahh meaning, maybe we should learn to read His Word for what it says and obey.
I think the difference is that the Bible is a collection of all different types of literature, to which I think all would agree. One cannot read Song of Songs the same way one would read Hebrews or Deuteronomy. Some passages are pretty face value while others are not literal-literal.
ReplyDeletePerhaps those who try to read between the lines are trying to make sense of it all without following a certain theologian or denomination.
Great post!
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