Comments | christianity: “Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis” by William J Webb, the second half

joannebethel in christianity

“Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis” by William J Webb, the second half

Feb 05, 2009 13:14

Here's the second half of the book review I read earlier this week that got me to thinking. Thanks for weighing on yesterday's post.

What I realized is that I do contextualize scripture when I read it and study it, seeking to understand the full meaning of God's word for the original hearers (and readers) and for me today. But how can I tell what' ( Read more... )

bible interpretation, contextualizing scripture

Comments 26

underlankers February 5 2009, 20:29:15 UTC

My question is that support of slavery from a Biblical standpoint can far more easily be argued than an egalitarian approach to gender relations or opposition to homosexuality, and thus: if slavery can be considered to be culturally limited despite being emphatically not so either Biblically or for most of Christian history.....why is the question of gender in general taken to be either cultural or transcultural ( ... )

rest_in_thee February 5 2009, 22:47:48 UTC

If you wouldn't mind, make a strong and lucid argument in support of slavery using Scripture.

napoleonofnerds February 5 2009, 22:57:59 UTC

St. Thomas thought it was socially justifiable.

St. Thomas is right, just like scripture.

Therefore, slavery is a-okay.

No, just kidding, his thought on slavery is actually culturally bounded and really nuanced.

rest_in_thee February 5 2009, 23:02:12 UTC

Yeah, I always here people say it's biblically justified, but I think that's a stretch. It's certainly in Scripture, but it's really difficult to make an argument for Scripture that makes a positive moral case for the institution of slavery.

Thread 13

the point of the post joannebethel February 6 2009, 13:17:11 UTC

The point of the post was to discuss the hermeneutics of cultural and transcultural statements in scripture. As pointed out in the earlier post, all of us must, to some extent, contextualize scripture becasue we live in a different context than the original Bible writings ( ... )

Re: the point of the post underlankers February 6 2009, 13:55:09 UTC

Saying that Gays damn themselves is a step up from saying "Stone the queers," the way the OT had it. The responsibility was put on God, not on the congregation itself. Tanach requires the execution of gays by stoning through human agency, the New Testament never says man shall execute them. How is that not a movement forwards?

Re: the point of the post martiancyclist February 6 2009, 17:01:09 UTC

Mind you, I think this whole post is missing the point (namely, typology), but I could point out that the NT never says to stone adulterers either, but no one's going to say that's a movement forward which could justify now allowing adultery.

Re: the point of the post pastorlenny February 8 2009, 03:41:22 UTC

This clarity you have, from whence does it come?

Thread 6

susannah February 6 2009, 15:51:15 UTC

Is homophobia cultural or transcultural, and does it really matter to the people whose lives are marginalised as a result of it?

Re: the point of the post underlankers February 6 2009, 18:49:08 UTC

It's cultural. Most cultures have no Western-style homosexuality to start with. In the absence of homosexuality, how can somebody be phobic of something that does not exist in those cultures? The Islamic Republic of Iran is the best place on the planet following an Abrahamic religion for transgenders. Ayatollah Khomeini himself ensured that. All the same....Western-style homosexuality does not exist in Iran. Then there's the question of Marind-Anim sexual practices. Because their culture values semen as a life-resource, their women screw multiple men and the men bugger boys to introduce them to Marind-Anim adulthood as an initiation rite. Does that make them right to do so? Is pedophilia right when a culture values it to the point that it is the introduction into their version of adulthood ( ... )

standing up for gays and lesbians against homophobia susannah February 6 2009, 19:42:44 UTC

Thanks. Well... I wasn't really trying to judge whether homophobia was cultural or transcultural. I was just trying to offer a corrective to the frequent christian mindset that focuses on the 'wrongness' of gay sex, and suggest that instead it would be a good christian impulse to focus on the victimisation of gay and lesbian people that can take place in many societies, and make that a focus of compassion. In other words, gay and lesbian people are so often on the receiving end of unwarranted shit, that as christians we should be concentrating on their vulnerability instead of coming over too heavy and judgmental... regardless of whether biblical statements on homosexuality are 'cultural' or 'transcultural ( ... )

Re: standing up for gays and lesbians against homophobia underlankers February 6 2009, 19:53:26 UTC

1) That's the point that I'm getting at: the gay and lesbian-as-concept are unique to the West, and thus the issue doesn't really trouble other societies, who may have entirely different sexual ethics and ways of conceiving things. In the West, your point is valid. Not so much outside it ( ... )

Christians slamming Christians joannebethel February 6 2009, 20:32:28 UTC

There are several asppects to the issue of homosexuality ( ... )

hpyhpyjoyjoy87 February 9 2009, 00:45:53 UTC

I am very interested in reading that book one day, although I don't see myself agreeing it (from a Van Tillian perspective).

Have you read Wayne Grudem's critique yet? Many insights abound.
http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/papers/ets/2003/Grudem/Grudem.html

good paper joannebethel February 9 2009, 13:30:47 UTC

That was a great link, thanks. I'm about halfway through the critique, and understand the basic cautions being presented ( ... )