While reading David Well's essay, "An American Evangelical Theology: The =
Painful Transition from Theoria to Praxis" (in EVANGELICALISM AND MODERN =
AMERICA, ed. George Marsden), I came accross some comments about =
evangelical theology and hermeutics that seem apt to several of the =
discussions we have had recently about biblical books and passages:
"By evangelical consensus, biblical revelation is transcultural in =
its content and intent; but it was, nevertheless, written within =
specific contexts and within their language, conceptuality, and social =
customs. Therefore, there is indeed a 'revelatory trajectory' that =
requires the interpreter to discover the substance of that revelation in =
the original culture and to deliver it to the receptor-culture in which =
it is to be located. God's revelation therefore has to be =
decontextualized with respect to its terminus a quo and recontextualized =
for arrival in its terminus a quem.
"On both end of this trajectory there are questions to be addressed =
that earlier evangelical theology either failed to see or to which it =
gave insufficient attention. What biblical revelation meant in its =
original context is not so simple a matter as stumbling on the facts of =
nature. What it now means is not self-evident in a culture whose =
cognitive horizon is quite different from that in which the revelation =
was originally given. For these reasons the task of contextualizing is =
a responsibility which is inescapable.
"Cultural history ought to be a major component of an evangelical =
theological outlook. Not only must evangelicals be trained to =
understand the content of God's revelation, but they also should expend =
some comparable effort to understand the cutlure they propose to =
address."
Wells means not only a foreign culture into which those in the =
mission field go; he also means modern American secularizing culture, =
which in a real sense ought to be the mission field of American =
evangelicals. To take a step into the latter, I see an application of =
the work of the ASA and like-minded people of faith who wish to engage a =
modern culture strongly shaped by a scientific outlook with the content =
and intent of biblical revelation and the largely soteriological focus =
of the evangelical mission. Is that not the task that confronts us who =
are committed to the cause of Christ: to decontextualize the =
historically-bounded Hebrew world-view from the message of creation and =
salvation embedded in it and recontextualize it for a culture shaped by =
the world-view of modern science? Has not that task underlay most of =
the discussions we have engaged in on this list?
Any thoughts from you all?
Grace and peace,
Bob Schneider
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>While reading David Well's essay, "An =
American=20
Evangelical Theology: The Painful Transition from Theoria to Praxis" (in =
EVANGELICALISM AND MODERN AMERICA, ed. George Marsden), I came accross =
some=20
comments about evangelical theology and hermeutics that seem apt to =
several of=20
the discussions we have had recently about biblical books and=20
passages:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> "By evangelical =
consensus,=20
biblical revelation is transcultural in its content and intent; but it =
was,=20
nevertheless, written within specific contexts and within their =
language,=20
conceptuality, and social customs. Therefore, there is indeed a=20
'revelatory trajectory' that requires the interpreter to discover the =
substance=20
of that revelation in the original culture and to deliver it to the=20
receptor-culture in which it is to be located. God's revelation =
therefore=20
has to be decontextualized with respect to its <U>terminus a quo</U> and =
recontextualized for arrival in its <U>terminus a quem</U>.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> "On both end of this =
trajectory=20
there are questions to be addressed that earlier evangelical theology =
either=20
failed to see or to which it gave insufficient attention. What =
biblical=20
revelation meant in its original context is not so simple a matter as =
stumbling=20
on the facts of nature. What it now means is not self-evident in a =
culture=20
whose cognitive horizon is quite different from that in which the =
revelation was=20
originally given. For these reasons the task of contextualizing is =
a=20
responsibility which is inescapable.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> "Cultural history =
ought to be a=20
major component of an evangelical theological outlook. Not only =
must=20
evangelicals be trained to understand the content of God's revelation, =
but they=20
also should expend some comparable effort to understand the cutlure they =
propose=20
to address."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> Wells means not only =
a foreign=20
culture into which those in the mission field go; he also means modern =
American=20
secularizing culture, which in a real sense ought to be the mission =
field of=20
American evangelicals. To take a step into the latter, I see an=20
application of the work of the ASA and like-minded people of faith who =
wish to=20
engage a modern culture strongly shaped by a scientific =
outlook with=20
the content and intent of biblical revelation and the largely =
soteriological=20
focus of the evangelical mission. Is that not the task that =
confronts us=20
who are committed to the cause of Christ: to decontextualize the=20
historically-bounded Hebrew world-view from the message of creation and=20
salvation embedded in it and recontextualize it for a culture =
shaped by the=20
world-view of modern science? Has not that task underlay most of =
the=20
discussions we have engaged in on this list?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> Any thoughts from =
you=20
all?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Grace and peace,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Bob Schneider</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
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