The Bible Beyond Literalism:
Critique, Tradition, and Renewal
Part 1
Introduction
by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT
I'd like to consider four perspectives when coming to the bible:
- the unbelieving, non-Christian view
- the modern-era Jewish view
- the modern-era Christian view, and
- the modern-era Process view.
Simplistically, I like to frame these perspectives in a deconstructive-reconstructive fashion as respecting the inherited text of Scripture as a living tradition within every era that it has been affected by it.... And by "affected" I mean how different cultures, eras, and societies have appropriated or misappropriated the bible during its generations.
Let's begin with a review of several illustrations. Pay attention to how each illustration says something about the subject of reading, interpreting, and applying the Scriptures:
Now I have entitled these series of posts as “The Bible Beyond Literalism: Critique, Tradition, and Renewal.” However, I could have chosen several other titles such as the following:
- “Scripture in Process”
- “Voices in the Fire: Rethinking the Old Testament”
- “Unfolding Revelation: Four Windows into the Bible's Sacred Text”
- “The Evolving Word: From Hearts of Stone to the Living Word & Spirit”
- “The Living Scroll: Wrestling, Listening, Becoming”
- “Evolving Texts & Evolving Faiths: Comparative Views to the Hebrew Bible”
- “Hermeneutics in Motion: Process Readings of Sacred Texts”
- “Reimagining Revelation: From Ancient Law to Living Love”
- “The Problem of the Old Testament in Modern Thought”
- “Becoming Living Words: A Metamodern Reappraisal of Sacred Texts”
- “A Living Scroll Still in Production: Revelation, Process, and the Voice of the Other”
- “Scripture as Symphony: Dissonance, Dialogue, and the Divine Lure”
- “From Command to Companionship: Rewriting the Text Through Time”
From these many titles one may see that there are just as many approaches to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible as there shown in the illustrations given at the start of this post.
Biblical Studies, Forms & Traditions
Now, in comparison, here are the classic church's several (traditional) approaches as applied to the Scriptures over the centuries:
- Literal – Plain, historical meaning.
- Allegorical – Hidden spiritual meaning (e.g., Christological).
- Moral (Tropological = Figurative Use) – Ethical instruction for behavior.
- Anagogical – Mystical/future-oriented (heaven, eschatology).
- Typological – OT events as prefiguring NT realities.
- Canonical (Sola Scriptura = "by Scripture Alone") – Interpreting Scripture by Scripture alone as a unified whole.
- Doctrinal (Dogmatics) – Framed by established theology or creeds.
- Mystical – Focused on interior, contemplative meaning.
Or, we could sort out the bible in our reading, interpretation, and application by applying the following major approaches below. But please be aware that these are some, but not all examples. There are many more categories which may be added.
Too, each major category may be intertwined with the another by intermixing various subjects and categories.
Further each major category may utilize one or all the tools within its own space. As example, a carpenter may uses a saw, a screwdriver, a drill, a nail, a ruler, etc, all on the same job. Similarly, so do researches, linguists, phonologists, morphologists, theologians, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and so on.
🕯️ Historical Approach
- Historical-Critical – Analyzes context, sources, authorship, and redaction.
- Grammatical-Historical – Focuses on original language and cultural setting.
- Form Criticism – Studies literary forms (e.g., parables, hymns).
- Source Criticism – Identifies textual sources (e.g., JEDP in the Pentateuch).
- Redaction Criticism – Explores how editors shaped the text.
- Archaeological - Digging up ancient tells (mounds et al) to unearth accumulated debris from earlier civilizations determining significance, history, culture, and development.
🧠 Philosophical & Theological Approach
- Existential – Focuses on personal, inward meaning (e.g., Bultmann).
- Liberationist – Reads through the lens of the oppressed and marginalized.
- Feminist/Womanist – Challenges patriarchal structures in the text and interpretation.
- Queer Hermeneutics – Explores gender/sexuality and inclusion in the text.
- Narrative Theology – Seeks to discover the Divine lure, calling, will, or reasoning within the Bible by examining it's narratives / stories rather than by Western civilization's religious urge to rather create formularic propositions or statements seeking the same.
- Canonical Criticism / Deconstruction / Reconstruction / Harmony – Focuses on the final form of the canon as meaningful.
- Theological Interpretation of Scripture with Ecclesiastical Tradition) – Integrates Scripture with ecclesial tradition, doctrine, worship, and lifestyle preferences.
🌿 Contemporary & Constructive Approach
- Postcolonial – Interrogates imperial, colonial, and nationalist readings.
- Ecological (Eco-theology) – Reads the Bible in relation to creation and sustainability.
- Intertextual – Explores how texts echo or dialogue with each other.
- Reception History – Studies how texts have been understood over time.
- Process Hermeneutics – Views Scripture as dynamic, relational, and co-evolving with human consciousness.
Conclusion
As you can see, simply declaring that "We, and our group of bible seekers, know God's Will and what God wants for humankind" becomes problematic for many other individuals and groups. Why? Because as has been shown, we each think of God and the Bible quite differently from one another.
This becomes further complicated when a majority of like-minded Christians get together to overtake a society of blended races, cultures, religions, and perspectives to declare they alone know what God wants based upon the bible - as they have interpreted it for themselves - meaning, how they alone prefer to think about God and God's Will here on this earth.
Such statements are very situational and can create a plethora of individual, familial, local, and societal problems within communities. More alarming, such as with the case of Maga-Christians, when the Church-and-State Imperially align with one another, you can most always find outcomes of bias and discrimination, caustic fears and lies, distorted folkloric beliefs, deep hatred, cruelty, oppression, and even death.
Let me say this in another way when imploring Christians to be less rigorous in their dogmatic beliefs and more open-minded about an infinitely complex and loving God which/who may not be the kind of God one might think of God as being:
"Christianity operates best when it is open, questioning, and inviting exploration. It is at its worse when insular, incoherent, and resistant to inquiry.
When Christians shut their ears, turn off their minds, and fight for supremacy then the Christian faith is weakened by it's defensive apologetical attitudes.
But when Christians seek better explanations than popular sentiment can provide, then we will find a more vibrant faith more willing to expose itself in order that it may evolve to a society's needs.
In sum, the Christian faith is paradoxically healthier when led out by uncertainty and doubt."
- re slater
In Part 2, I'll cover the modern-era non-Christian perspectives; in Part 3, the modern-era Jewish perspective; in Part 4, the modern-era Christian perspective; and, lastly, in Part 5, the modern-era Process perspective. I will try to be brief throughout each posting thereby allowing the reader to form further opinions as respecting their own given situtation(s).
🌿Peace,
R.E. Slater
June 1, 2025
The Bible Beyond Literalism: Critique, Tradition, and Renewal
- Part 1 - Introduction
- Part 2 - The Modern-Era Non-Christian Perspective
- Part 3 - The Modern-Era Jewish Perspective
- Part 4 - The Modern-Era Christian Perspective
- Part 5 - The Modern-Era Process Perspective
No comments:
Post a Comment