Gresham Street, London EC2V 7BX
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St Anne's Lutheran Church
Gresham Street, London EC2V 7BX |
Baptized, We Live - Chapter Two: A Way Of Hearing
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Bible References and Bibliography
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The popularity of Greek thought is evident in two common ways of understanding the Bible : | |||
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Many
Christians say that the Bible was in some way dictated by God to the
writers and is therefore "inerrant". By using reason, we
can deduce fundamental propositions which must be accepted:
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Other
Christians say that the Bible is a fallible human book. However, by
using reason to get behind primitive and legendary material, we can find
eternal truths valid for all time such as:
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| Both of the above ways of viewing the Bible are "Greek" because both understand truth to be contained in propositions deducted by logical thought. | ||||
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In contrast, Lutheran thought follows a Hebrew way of thinking. Truth is the living, creative, powerful "address" of a loving God. Truth is the living Word which breaks into our lives, into our history, shattering old ways and creating NEW LIFE, NEW VALUES and NEW COMMITMENT. |
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The two ways explained above represent the opposing sides in the old debate between Fundamentalists and Liberals. A more common debate today is between Fundamentalists and those who use historical and literary criticism - a method of searching for the sources, the literary forms and the historical situations behind the original texts. I believe this method helps us to hear the Scripture because it puts us in touch with the first readers and the WORD which the writers, inspired by the Spirit, spoke to them. Lutheran Bible scholars have been pioneers and leaders in this method of Bible study. |
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