It’s been a while since I’ve explored a practice relating to Scripture reading here. As it happens, I’ve also been working on a series of posts on hermeneutics (the interpretation of texts), and so I’ve been thinking a lot about how we approach and interpret our Scriptures. And so this week for my sacred practice … Continue reading Eisegesis & Exegesis
The first post in this series introduced four characteristics I think are vital for a hermeneutical approach 'after postmodernism': It must be growth-oriented, holistic, integrating, and inclusive of complexity. This post will focus on the first of these characteristics. I’ve written a lot already in this space about growth and why I think it’s important … Continue reading Toward an Integral Hermeneutic: Growth-Oriented
The written word is nothing short of a miracle, transforming patterns of marks on a surface into meaningful communication, across space and time. It should be no surprise, thinking of the miracle that writing actually represents, that understanding the written word is often challenging. Even more than understanding face-to-face oral/aural communication, it is really nothing … Continue reading The Written Word (Toward an Integral Hermeneutic: Introduction)
A couple years ago, I stumbled across the text of Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” The title says it all. The sermon’s primary aim was to convince people of the horrors of Hell and to use this fear to spur them to repentance. I have to admit that … Continue reading Missing the Mark (or, Talking about Sin)
When challenged by a legal expert about what was most important about the Law, Jesus famously answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind ... and love your neighbour as yourself” (Mt 22.37-39). It’s a wonderfully simple response. But this simplicity is deceptive.
Matthew Root 