Couldn’t agree more. The search for principles conceivably could become a matter of identifying a list we could put on a few sheets of paper and memorize. We could just shelve the Bible once we isolate them all.

While it is not the last word on Biblical interpretation (or even the first), I would recommend Billy Collins’ wonderful poem “Introduction to Poetry” if you have not read it. Seems to capture the “wonder” and humility with which we ought to approach scripture and with which we ought to return again and again.

Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem’s room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author’s name on the shore.

But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

My respect for you, John, (which was already high) just gonged the bell at the top of the Respect Meter. Your flock is blessed.

…”the incredibly self-centered, self-absorbed Christianity of our day.”

Amen.

Narcissism comes with a force-shield that repels correction. Tell a narcissist that he’s a narcissist, and that narcissism is obnoxious, and watch him react, “Huh? Yeah, yeah, that. But about me…”

Let’s keep feeding Jesus to them. There is no other hope.

Thanks, John. Your blog is always a thought-provoking blessing.

Terry

The “story” expresses the “principle”. And without the story the principle is deadening, much like the Letter without the Spirit kills.

Yet the story still has to be interpreted (i.e., understood), and it is subject to being easily MISunderstood.

For example, the Word of Faith guy may teach that it’s all about health and wealth (“Didn’t the Apostles have Judas watching the MONEY bag? What do you fools think they had in that MONEY bag? Huh? Don’t shout me down, now, just ’cause I’m preachin’ good!”)

The Galatianist preacher may teach that Grace isn’t enough. That God’s angry with His children all the time because we’re such screw-ups (“You people better start getting serious with God! I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but if you aren’t here for Sunday night and Wednesday night and Sunday School, and if you’re not giving your 10% to God [read, MY "ministry"], you better know God is disappointed in you, just like I’m disappointed in you, you sad-sack sacks of …”)

The poor Emergent teacher may ponder over the narrative and echo Pontius Pilate’s famous question, thinking the proclamation of “What is truth?” is profound, instead of sad.

My point is that God starts with “principle”, moves into Historical Story [a redundancy, I know], and sheds light on the stories with principles, even while shedding light on the principles with stories.

John, reconsider the assertion “Christianity is all about Christ.” Is that true, whether examined by story or principle? I don’t think so.

Christ Himself has made it about Him AND us.

Yes, He is the Author and Finisher. Yes, He is the Alpha and Omega. All glory and credit should go to Him. What do we have that we did not receive?

Yet He has chosen to call out a people for His name, and love them, and take them with Him on the Cross and in the tomb and risen with Him and seated with Him, as His “friends” and His “bride”.

What Luke wrote in the book bearing his name was what Jesus “BEGAN to do and to teach”, and the Book of Acts continues the narrative of what He IS doing in us and through us. It’s certainly not “all about US”, but it is a tale of Two Musketeers, Christ and us, joyful [hopefully] yokefellows for History and for Eternity.

Why is this even important?

Because if we fall for the self-abasing mantra that it’s “all about Him”, we fail to draw near to Him, to commune with Him, in the warm welcomed way He has designed.

And we are prone to try to earn His love and favor by our performance, thinking we are always falling short — which of course we are — instead of accepting His awesome acceptance of us by Grace, declared righteous through His gift of His righteousness, indeed made new in our spirits, one with Him in spirit, loving Christ and hating sin in our [new] heart of hearts.

That’s the Old, and New, story.

Blessings,
Terry

I agree with you 100 percent–so you’re preaching to the Choir. But perhaps the larger question is why is all this tremendous scholarship–Meyer, Wright, Dunn, etc–treated as apostasy but the evangelical church? If you go to evangelical churches it’s as if the past 40 years of Biblical scholarship doesn’t exist–it’s all that liberal stuff! One reason you have Christians flooding the Net is they get saved, go to Bible Study and find their questions are ignored or denounced and they are fed unsatisfactory answers. They start their own search and discover these authors, blogs websites such as yours and a whole new world opens up! Their faith can be questioned, discussed, etc in an open adult way. Please keep writing.

Amen.