Joe Manafo

All Hermeneutics are Local

Tony Jones, Emergent USA Co-ordinator, posts his lecture notes from a recent forum he participated in at Wheaton. Apparently things didn’t go over too well, and his contribution was rejected by the school, its professors and the series print publication. It’s worth the read, and though I don’t buy his argument completely, he makes some valid points that are important to consider.

Does theology evolve? Absolutely - our own Christian history supports this notion. For example, take the evolving nature of how the Church has understood the Passion of Christ as catalogued in the world of art (For a fascinating read on this, check out The Passion in Art) specifically the image of Christ on the cross. If he should even be depicted on the cross, should he be clothed, or unclothed? If clothed, what type of clothing should be wearing? That of a king or a pauper? Should his facial expression be joyous or downcast? Should the position of his body emote that he is full of strength or broken? Your Jesus of choice speaks to your theology, your context, culture, the era in which you were born and raised and perhaps even (depending on how your day has been) if you think the whole thing is nothing more than a sham.

However, when does evolution become heresy? Check out this Larry King interview clip with Jay Bakker, son of the infamous Jim and Tammy Faye, concerning his position on homosexuality and gay marriage. If one were to ascribe to an evolving theology, (to borrow from John Wesley - aren’t I a good Free Methodist?) what then becomes of the parameters of scripture, tradition, reason and experience? At what point do we evolve into something that we’re not? C.S. Lewis puts it this way: “For Change is not progress unless the core remains unchanged. A small oak grows into a big oak; if it became a beech that would not be growth, but mere change…. In other words, wherever there is real progress in knowledge there is some knowledge that is not superseded.”

On either side there appears to be a mix of danger & hope. As Christ followers, may we navigate these waters bravely and faithfully.

Anyway…

Speaking of local hermeneutics, if Sarnia were Springfield, and if I lived in Homer Simpson’s neighbourhood, this is what I’d look like:

Filed by Joe at July 20th, 2007 under Uncategorized, Rants