Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] [POLITICS][RELIGION] Billy Graham and the Presidents

[Stephen Montgomery-Smith <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

Stephen Montgomery-Smith wrote:
> Jim Locke wrote:

> > I agree.  If the Bible is really perfect and 100% accurate as many 
> > say, why is there so much lack of clarity in the writings?  Maybe it 
> > has always been intended to present a struggle, rewarding those with 
> > enough faith.
>
> The notion of "Biblical inerrancy" has different shades of meaning to 
> different people.  I take my understanding from 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 
> Peter 1:16-20, which essentially state that the words of the Bible come 
> from God.  But it doesn't necessarily imply that, for example, Genesis 1 
> and 2 should be interpreted completely literally.

I meant to say more here.  I think that in modern times, starting 
perhaps around the 19th century, and influenced by the current success 
of science, there has been a tendency to try to make language extremely 
precise.  I think that this can be clearly seen by comparing, say, the 
works of Shakespeare, and the "Sherlock Holmes" stories.  Shakespeare's 
language contains a lot of allusions and poetry, but manages to 
communicate a great deal that I think is simply unavailable to the 
author who is constrained by modern precision.  I think that our modern 
insistence on precision in our communication is a modern fad, and 
certainly not representative of most culture in history.

But then one gets the other extreme - the so called liberal 
interpretation - where one reduces the Bible so much to poetry that the 
Bible becomes non-authoritative.

The challenge to the modern reader (and a challenge that I think was in 
part easier in past ages) is to interpret the Bible at least in part on 
a poetic level, but at the same time to understand its fully 
authoritative nature (authoritative in the sense that the knowledge it 
communicates is fully correct).

You really do need the help of the Holy Spirit to do this properly.  You 
must pray and ask God for help in understanding scripture.

Stephen

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