Hermeneutics Conclusion: A Sight for Sore Eyes

A truly enlightened heart generates boldness in believing. On this ground believers become a witness to the testimony of Christ. Bible studies that are academic lack the believer’s testimony; for testimony is speaking of the things God has done for us (our shared testimony) and for me (my personal testimony). The knowledge [...]

Hermeneutics: The Pattern Concept

The Bible is God’s inspired word of truth and the authoritative source for the church’s faith and practice. But recognizing that this is what many denominations believed, my teachers added a caveat: The church must rightly divide the word of truth. That meant the Old Testament was for the Jews and the [...]

Hermeneutics: Interpretation and Keeping Away from Idolatry

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21, ESV). It’s an abrupt and provocative ending to the Apostle John’s letter. It must be especially important. John wrote to Christians who were delivered from pagan idolatry. Yet he knew from his own heritage, how hard it was for the Hebrews to [...]

Hermeneutics: Interpretation and Sounds of Silence

It seems that I just cannot keep silent about silence. John the Baptist abstained from wine and excused himself from an ordinary social life for eating locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. Jesus turned the water into the best wine, ate and drank with sinners and tax collectors; but nevertheless, did make [...]

Hermeneutics: Interpretation and the Wizard of Silence

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” – The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz (1939). In hermeneutics (interpretation) silence is the man behind the curtain: a pretentious wizard with an odd collection of personal effects. Those who would interpret the Bible cannot ignore him. He may [...]