Subject: Never Read a Bible Verse |
Bible Note: 'The Perils of Prooftexting and How to Avoid Them' 'If you think you're on safe theological ground because of a pet verse, better look twice. Simple prooftexting has its perils. Here's how to avoid them. (...) 'Virtually every Christian with a theological point of view thinks his view is scriptural. Why shouldn't he? He has a prooftext he can quickly quote in his defense. 'If you're not careful, though, simply picking out a verse that seems to support your view may result in pitting one text against another, creating an apparent contradiction. This may be satisfying for the moment because the verse affirms your pet doctrine. But your take on the passage may be wrong, and the conflict created with other texts undermines the authority of the Bible in general. 'Part of what we do on the radio show is dispute different theological views. A caller gives me his opinion and cites supporting verses. I can almost hear him settling back in his chair and folding his arms. His work is done, or so he thinks. 'My verses say one thing; his appear to say another. As long as he can find a verse that--at least at first glance--supports his view, he's satisfied. Whenever the issue comes up, he can simply quote his pet text. 'Taking a casual approach to prooftexting doesn't solve the conflict. It merely intensifies it. How? Because, as I mentioned, when my verses say one thing and his appear to say another if we simply camp on our verses we affirm a contradiction. 'So how do we solve this problem? We keep one goal in mind. Our question should be, "What does the Bible teach?", not simply "What does our verse seem to teach?" How do we learn what the Bible teaches? By choosing an interpretation that makes the best sense out of all the relevant verses. 'That takes more work than simple prooftexting. If there's an apparent conflict, we must try to solve it. It is not enough to point to a verse that supports our position. If all of the Bible is God's Word and without error, then we must also consider the scriptural evidence that seems contrary to our theology and attempt to factor it into our answer...' ____________________ To read more go to: www.str.org/free/ solid_ground/SG9909.htm |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 3 | Author | ||
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sblonggood1@aol.com | ||
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tashina | ||
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KALUMBA | ||
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tashina | ||
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tashina | ||
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shining goddess | ||
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kalos | ||
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johnpastors | ||
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kalos | ||
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johnpastors | ||
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abcdef | ||
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kalos |