Previous posts have emphasised that scripture is of human origin and not a manifestation of the thoughts of an anthropomorphic or supranatural being somewhere 'out there'. In post 515 is the opinion of Colin Coward on the authorship and editing of scripture, an opinion I have no hesitation in sharing.
Marcus J Borg :
'I let go of the notion that the Bible is a divine product. I learned that it is a human cultural product, the product of two ancient communities, biblical Israel and early Christianity. As such, it contained their understandings and affirmations, statements not coming directly or somewhat directly from God.....I realised that whatever "divine revelation" and the "inspiration of the Bible" meant (if they meant anything), they did not mean that the Bible was a divine product with divine authority.'
'Properly understood the Bible is a potential ally to the progressive Christian passion for transformation of ourselves and the world. It is our great heritage. Along with Jesus, to whom it is subordinate, it is our greatest treasure.'
The concepts, teaching, ideas attributed to the person named Jesus by the compilers of the synoptic gospels are not a set of rigid rules. They do not collectively furnish us with an instruction manual to be followed to the letter, to be interpreted literally. Rather they provide examples and ideas of what it is to love. We should understand them as symbols and metaphor. The synoptic gospels are pointers to how we might act in respect of our personal behaviour, our concern for the needs of others and in our quest for social justice to eliminate systemic failures that entrench racism, poverty, mysogeny and homophobia.
Marcus J Borg tells us the bible: Along with Jesus, to whom it is subordinate, it is our greatest treasure.'
Yes, the bible is a valuable resource, a useful guide, but the final word is with us. It is not so much the case we should seek guidance by interpreting scripture: rather it is we should be guided by our intellect and power of reasoning to decide what it is in the twenty-first century to love and how to go beyond theory into action. Our understanding and action has to evolve if the Christain faith is not become a museum piece.
John Shelby Spong puts it well:
The Christian story does not drop from heaven fully written. It grew and developed over a period of forty-two to seventy years. This is not what most Christians have been taught to think, but it is factual. Christianity has always been an evolving story. It was never, even in the New Testament, a finished story.'
The Church of England Book of Common Prayer (BCP) contains the service of Evening Prayer. Following the reading from the Old Testament the congregation say or sing Magnificat taken from Luke 1: 46-55.
The BCP states verses 52-53 as follows:
He hath put down the mighty from their seat: and exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Congregations say or sing these words, but do many understand the principles behind them? How do we, of fail to, apply them in the present to individuals and society? How do we understand them through the lens of love? We should understand them as an illustration of love by applying our intelligence and power of reason, not by a rigid, literal, limiting interpretion of individual words.
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