[Note: Just some thoughts I had after reading a chapter of a book that discussed the lenses that we see jesus through. One focus was the different cultural perspectives we have in the current day.]
I find the culture clash between "American" or "contemporary" or "secular" culture and "Christian" culture. This is the focus of my Liberal Arts and Christian issues class, and the difficulty of the topic is probably one of the main reasons that so many students and professors find it frustrating to different degrees.
This chapter started to touch on some of the ways that our secular culture has severely distorted our understanding of Jesus, and therefore how we should live as Christians. After reading this chapter, I have realized something a little disappointing about modern church as I have experienced. We often have sermons that just teach on solid points based off of a few verses, but rarely do we even discuss the context, meanings, or lenses in which the text can be or should be read. This is probably one of the reasons that I personally struggle so much with reading the Bible. I just don't always get the context. I don't always know what is to be taken literally, which is metaphorical, which is supposed to be applied to everyone, or which is only applicable at the time. It is all well and good to learn some of that in college courses, but what I would like to see is a little more academic approach given by the church, so that church members can be more knowledgeable.
I totally agree with your assessment about context (or lack thereof, in many sermons). One of my favorite authors, John Green, has an opinion that has essentially turned into a mantra: no text can be thoroughly understood without its context. I think applying a little -- just a little, but still -- academic thought to sermons would make people pay more attention, ask more questions and understand their faith, their Bibles and their God more clearly.
ReplyDeleteI am curious, though, of your opinion on the other side of this argument. That is, what part (or which parts) of the Bible/gospel stand on their own? On the one hand, I one hundred percent believe a contextual understanding of the Bible is beneficial. On the other hand, something about the gospel clearly speaks to thousands, to millions, who read and believe without any context at all. If context is important, *how* important is it? And is it "more" important for understanding different parts of the text (law, history poetry, epistles, etc.)?
On it's own? Oh plenty of the wisdom stands alone, but, probably from my background in education, I think that we need to learn how to properly read the Bible. I believe that God accomplishes this when His followers study, teach, and learn together, and of course through the Holy Spirit.
DeleteWhat I read had a lot to say about how the ideas of secular society infect our viewpoints so that misunderstand a lot of the Bible in some pretty critical ways. I believe that sin and the resulting corruptions of society have clouded our minds throughout history, leading to continual heresies, schisms, disagreements, great wrongs and confusion within and outside of the church.