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Originally Posted by Lon  For me the bible is allegorical, there is a lot of wisdom in it, and I don't think it is divine truth, so I probably don't even have the right to call myself a Christian. I still appreciate and hold true most of the lessons in the bible, but it is not a complete comprehensive resource for life, nor is everything in it applicable to me. I will take what I want from it and leave the rest. |
I think exactly like you, I admittably "cherry pick" & make no apologies for it, I will even argue exactly why I do this & point out it is OFTEN against love & tolerance many instances to take a purely Fundamental view. I still admire much in that bible, many Proverbs, and I enjoy the Book of Ecclesiastes .
***************************** So many ways to interpret the Bible ...some examples....
Literal: The Fundamentalist view
Historical Document Midrash: Jewish Rabbinical approach to interpretation sought to understand the literal, and then expand the teachings to contemporary issues. "light to heavy"
Pesher: Exegetical method that suggests the prophetic writings contain hidden eschatological significance, or divine mystery. Jesus used this method on several occasions. (Lk 4:16)
Allegorical: Assumes the text has a meaning other than what the literal wording says---- a parable is a short allegory with a Moral meaning. Allogories are often used in Literature.
Typological: seeks to discover a correspondence between people and events of the past and of the present or future. Matt. 12:40 - Jesus parallels the experience of Jonah with his own death. Moses was a type of Christ, who brought the people out of bondage, and was rejected by his own. Isaac when he was offered up by Abraham.
Christological: Firstly, Jesus, and then the writers of the New testament had a decidedly Christocentric approach to Bible interpretation. Old testament passages were viewed in light of the new knowledge they now had about the person and work of the Messiah.
Functional: Fitting scripture into current day context, disregarding the historical context.
