In the last post, I opined that the middle road between too much tradition and not enough was part of the big idea of part two. Well, guess what he comes out and says in part three?
Oh, yeah.
We read this: "Reading the Bible with the Tradition gives us guidance but it also gives us freedom to differ with Tradition." Pretty middle of the roadish to me, but I will say once again, maneuvering a middle path between two extremes is both difficult and worthwhile.
Here's my take on what this third way expresses: we read the Bible with one eye on the way it's traditionally been read. Which tradition? Well, tradition in this instance can include more than one interpretation. I don't know if Scot believes that, but practically speaking, this is what you and I are going to see and deal with, not knowing in a scholarly way just how close our little "t" tradition fits with the big "T" Tradition to which he refers. In addition to that, many Christians have different views competing for the title of "Tradition." Some people go to more than one church. Some read books by leaders outside of their local church's purview, or watch sermons on TV.
I guess that, for most of us, "Tradition" will have to refer to what is understood to be traditional within my denomination or local church or Christian authority. Look at it in this light first, and you need to have a darn good reason for departing from this understanding.
Now, what about the Holy Spirit? It's always been my understanding that we read scripture with the help of the Spirit. That's what has to happen on an individual basis. Of course, once we start discussing what truth the Spirit has lead us into (John 16:13) (TM), then we will start to find differences and have disagreements. Let's not let this be the end of the story as is so often the case, but rather the beginning of a long and fruitful dialog in which each party learns of and decides to remove planks and specks from their own eyes, moving together into a better understanding of the Lord, and a closer walk with Him.
Next, we get into Chapter 3.
Oh, yeah.
We read this: "Reading the Bible with the Tradition gives us guidance but it also gives us freedom to differ with Tradition." Pretty middle of the roadish to me, but I will say once again, maneuvering a middle path between two extremes is both difficult and worthwhile.
Here's my take on what this third way expresses: we read the Bible with one eye on the way it's traditionally been read. Which tradition? Well, tradition in this instance can include more than one interpretation. I don't know if Scot believes that, but practically speaking, this is what you and I are going to see and deal with, not knowing in a scholarly way just how close our little "t" tradition fits with the big "T" Tradition to which he refers. In addition to that, many Christians have different views competing for the title of "Tradition." Some people go to more than one church. Some read books by leaders outside of their local church's purview, or watch sermons on TV.
I guess that, for most of us, "Tradition" will have to refer to what is understood to be traditional within my denomination or local church or Christian authority. Look at it in this light first, and you need to have a darn good reason for departing from this understanding.
The Role of the Holy Spirit in Bible Reading
Now, what about the Holy Spirit? It's always been my understanding that we read scripture with the help of the Spirit. That's what has to happen on an individual basis. Of course, once we start discussing what truth the Spirit has lead us into (John 16:13) (TM), then we will start to find differences and have disagreements. Let's not let this be the end of the story as is so often the case, but rather the beginning of a long and fruitful dialog in which each party learns of and decides to remove planks and specks from their own eyes, moving together into a better understanding of the Lord, and a closer walk with Him.
Next, we get into Chapter 3.
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