Hermeneutics and Ecclesiology
One's hermeneutical principles and one's ecclesiology are inseparable.
The biblicist approach makes no sense without the free church tradition and revivalism. If the church is only a practical arrangement to foster the spiritual development of individual Christians, then one must have a hermeneutical approach rooted in abstract theories of interpretation.
Reading the Bible within the scope of tradition means one is showing deference, indeed commitment to the idea that the Church is a living entity that has unfolded through time. Here, one pays attention to the way the scripture is actually read in real, particular and concrete instances. It entails the rejection of abstract theory and universal principles as the foundations of proper Bible reading.
4 comments:
Yes, ideally our approach to interpretation of Scripture and our understanding of the Church should be consistent and of one piece, but this assumes that people reason logically. Unfortunately, there is so much muddled thinking today that one finds people who clings to old rituals and ceremony while embracing revisionism. Louie Crew is an example.
BTW, Father Peter, you'd appreciate my "Response to Dorothy Sayers' 'The Lost Tools of Learning'". You may read it here: http://teachgoodwriting.blogspot.com
What a wonderful and scholarly woamn you have on your blog list. Did you know that she was once an Anglican priest - before being inhibited by Bishop Saul, and is now in opposition to the ordination of women? I wonder what changed her mind?
Father Ron, There are many inter-related reasons. I explain some of the research that helped me make that decision here: http://jandyongenesis.blogspot.com/2007/09/males-as-spiritual-leaders-two-patterns.html
Thanks for your kind words. I like your blog!
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