Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

ministry. Think now of those particular questions that have come to mind in light of the material you have just studied, and discuss them together. The questions below may spur your own questions, concerns, and issues. * Is it necessary for every Christian to have some kind of “hermeneutic” as they seek to understand the meaning of the Bible? Why are these issues important for laymen as well as clergy, for ordinary Christians as well as scholars? * Is there any final way to really know the precise relationship between the divine and human dimensions of how the Bible was created? What happens if we can’t perfectly explain it; ought we to be overly alarmed at it? Explain your answer. * Why is it so important to begin our study of the origins of the Bible with the truths that Christians through the ages have always held to and believed? * Explain the reason why all hermeneutic strategies are essentially attempts to bridge the gap between the world of the text and our modern world? Is this really possible or necessary, given that there are so many centuries separating us and the authors of the Bible? * What steps do I take to prepare my own heart, mind, and will to understand and apply the Word of God? What is the greatest challenge I have in this area? * Do you have to believe that the original autographs of the Bible were “inerrant” and “infallible” in order to believe that they are inspired of God and “God-breathed?” Explain your answer. * Of all the theories you read about in this lesson, which is most convincing to you about the nature of the divine and the human in the Bible? Which is least convincing, and why? * To what extent do you think that urban Christian leaders need to know the general theories associated with modern biblical criticism? Do these fields enhance or interfere with our ability to really master the Word of God for personal discipleship and ministry? Explain. * Of all the major subsections of modern biblical criticism, which do you think may provide urban Christian leaders with the best resources to both understand and apply the Word of God to life and ministry?

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