Here is a preview of the video that we segmented into three parts; Herman-Who? by Todd Friel - Read It Right: A Hermeneutics Primer course video:
Hermeneutics is the art and science of interpreting scripture. We must study to determine what is the correct method to use when interpreting God's Word. This is very important so that we can know that we are handling God's Word rightly and not leading ourselves or others astray into false doctrines and myths.
Exegesis - "exit", extracting from scripture what God intended to communicate through what He has written down. This method takes into account the importance of the full context of a written book, the historical setting/culture and the original audience before ever attempting to move forth and extract a principle or application from a specific text. This is also tied to the explanation of Author-Centered Interpretation, or Authorial Intent, which focuses all efforts on working to determine what the original author wanted to communicate to the readers through the medium being used. Since the Holy Spirit is the original author of scripture, we must work to find out what He meant to communicate through each passage in the Bible. Although there can be many applications, there is usually only ONE correct interpretation of any given passage (the message the Author intended to communicate).
Eisegesis - "into", reading a pre-understanding or supposition into scripture; bringing a pre-conceived idea to scripture, and trying to find out-of-context statements/verses to support this pre-conceived idea. If the pre-conceived idea is centered on the reader this has also been referred to as narcissistic eisegesis, or "narcegesis."
Making the Case for Authorial Intent (from the power point slides in class)
“It is clear that the last half of the 20th moved inexorably away from author-centered meaning to text-centered (Gadamer, Ricoeur) and then to reader-centered (deconstruction, reader response) hermeneutics.” The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 3 Page 344.
The question then needs to be asked: Is there any value in the challenge from the postmodern critics?
“Can we as readers allow the author-text to guide us to its own meaning?” The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 3 Page 344In order to answer this question we need to evaluate the idea that creates the foundation for these other methods: Postmodernism.
“Postmodernism argues that truth and reality are created by man and not by God, that something is true “if it works for you.” Truth is neither absolute nor binding…but merely situational and subjective.” Grave Influence, page 113.The statement or idea that “there is no absolute truth” breaks one of the fundamental laws of Logic – the law of non-contradiction. These laws we use everyday to make sense of reality. Without these self-evident laws we could not even communicate with one another. Thus we come to the conclusion: there is no value in this philosophical idea.
FURTHERMORE, the idea of Postmodernism can be traced back to an unsaved individual and enemy of Christianity named Friedrich Nietzsche.
“Nietzsche is best known for declaring “God is dead,” but few know that he went on to say that not only is God dead but that “we have killed him.” Nietzsche hated Christians. “Christianity has been the most calamitous kind of arrogance yet,” wrote Nietzsche, and, “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one enormous and innermost perversion, the one moral blemish of mankind….I regard Christianity as the most seductive lie that has yet existed.” Nietzsche believed that Christianity made his fellow Germans weak, so he described himself as “the Anti-Christian Friedrich Nietzsche” or sometimes as just “The Antichrist”…” Grave Influence, page 113.
Hermeneutics resources:
Article links:
Online Bible Sources:
Hermeneutics Primer Lectures by Chris Rosebrough of Fighting For The Faith & Pirate Christian Radio:
- How Not To Be Bamboozled Or Snookered By Religious Huskers, Snake Oil Con-Men Or Your Own Idolatrous Notions: Session 1
- How Not To Be Bamboozled Or Snookered By Religious Huskers, Snake Oil Con-Men Or Your Own Idolatrous Notions: Session 2A
- How Not To Be Bamboozled Or Snookered By Religious Huskers, Snake Oil Con-Men Or Your Own Idolatrous Notions: Session 2B
- How Not To Be Bamboozled Or Snookered By Religious Huskers, Snake Oil Con-Men Or Your Own Idolatrous Notions: Session 3
Links to Free Resources (Including a Systematic Theology Book):
Links to some of the resources we had available in class (you'd have to buy these or borrow them from Greg or I):
Links I gave all of you via email - strongly suggested audio/radio shows - not directly related to our Part 1 topic:
- http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2014/01/the-worst-of-sermons-the-best-of-sermons.html
- http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2014/01/carl-lentz-image-vs-substance.html
- http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/2014/01/one-way-love.html
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