Interpretations of Scripture are not just right and wrong, although at times such categories are useful and necessary. But perhaps ultimately a more adequate way of judging our readings is the way we judge works of art - according to the standards of beauty. To what extent do our readings reveal the intricacy, the wondrous quality of what the biblical writers call ma'asei Adonai, "the works of the LORD"? To what extent do they draw us toward something, a way of being that is - to use Paul's language - more "lovely," more "gracious," more "excellent," "noble," "worthy of praise" (Phil 4:8)? - Ellen F. Davis and Richard B. Hays, The Art of Reading Scripture
Moses & the Reed Sea - Dr. Cyndi Parker | 7.9.23
Our understanding does not seamlessly conform to God's reality, and instruction that suggests otherwise inevitably distorts the truth. The explanatory power such instruction generates is a mark of propaganda, not faithful Christian witness. Good teachers do not make Christianity easier for students by providing them with counterfeit clarity. If anything, they "jack up the price" by leading students more deeply into the subject matter, which in turn generates even more profound questions. - Adam Neder, Theology as a Way of Life
David & Goliath - Dr. Cyndi Parker | 7.2.23
A contextual reading is in fact an incarnational reading of scripture, paying attention to the full humanity both of the text and of its readers. This must be undertaken in the prayer that the "divinity" - the "inspiration" of scripture, and the Spirit's power at work within the Bible-reading church - will thereby be discovered afresh. - N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God