Interesting question from a webinar a friend participated in recently (question posed by Brian McLaren): "What do we mean when we say the Bible is authoritative?"
Yeah, what do we mean? First, I think it would be near impossible to get too many people to agree on a satisfactory answer to that question. Second, now we can probably tackle the question.
Does every word in the Bible have authority over my life? No way! Argue all you want about how the Hebrew Scriptures are to be considered relevant for today, but I'm not gonna stone anybody! I have no idea what to make of the stories about God actually killing or ordering the killing of human beings! Even though its forbidden, I am going to get the hair on my temples cut at Great Clips today! You get the point...there are some major chunks of the Bible that I do not consider authoritative in any way, shape, or form.
There are portions of the New Testament I do not consider relevant to life in my world today, either.
So, Brian McLaren, here is my answer to your really good question: I consider the best of the Bible to be authoritative. And for me, the best of the Bible is the life and teaching of Jesus.
I am a big fan of Jesus' graceful way of living and his sobering challenges to our thinking and acting. For me, the Bible gets us to Jesus and then leaves us alone to encounter him for the rest of our lives.
Ned, very interesting blog, and a very good question posed by McLaren. I also wrestle with the question and have determined that the messages usually given to me in Scripture, especially the Old Testament, are messages on obedience. Obviously women aren't required to cover their heads in church anymore, and they aren't ordered to keep silent...but what do we learn from their context? Anything.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, John Abbott