Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition - Mentor's Guide

7 6 / C O R N E R S T O N E C U R R I C U L U M M E N T O R ’ S G U I D E

essential rules of language and literature all apply to the grammatical relationships of the text, and so it will be important to pay close attention to the words and the rules which connect them together. Since the Three-Step Model focuses on the importance of bridging the gap between the world of the text and our contemporary world, it is structured around the need to understand the text in its original situation, i.e., its original historical context . God spoke to his people through the events, words, manifestations and diverse manners and times spoken of in the Word of God. As believers in the power of the Holy Spirit to continue to use that Word in our lives, we explore what the text meant in its historical context in order to gain insight into what the text means to us today. Our intent in the Three-Step Model is to make neither historical nor grammatical blunders which would cause us to misinterpret the meaning of the text in its original context, so as to misapply its meaning in our own context today. Finally, we affirm the Bible as a book of literature, and as such, must be studied in the context of its genres within their own literary contexts . Because the Bible is actually a library of texts of diverse literary material, some knowledge of the way in which particular types of literature work is extremely helpful in discerning the meaning of the message through the literary genre and within the literary context . The Three-Step Model takes into account the immediate context of the passage in connection to those paragraphs preceding and following it. We will also look at the passage in terms of its broader, more remote context, its place within a section of a chapter or book, and we will strive to make sense of the meaning of a text in light of its place in the entire work. Even after these critical contextual issues are thoroughly assessed, we will encourage the students to become handy at the kinds of rules and principles associated with the different types of materials in Scripture. Are there specific rules of a poem that, once understood, may help us better understand the poetic works of the Scriptures? Are there issues underlying parables or stories which can help us master the biblical parables and better interpret the biblical stories? Using insights in this way may help us grasp the meaning of the text in a greater fashion.

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