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Presbyterian Understanding and Use of Holy Scripture

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Position StatementAdopted by the 123rd General Assembly (198.3) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States A Resource Document Received by the 194th General Assembly (1982) of the United Presbyterian Church in: the United States of America The Office of Theologyand Worship PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) No part of this publicationmay be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmittedin any form or by any means,electronically, mechanically, photocopying, recording, or otherwise(brief quotationsused in magazineor newspaperreviews excepted), without the prior permissionof the publisher. The sessions,presbyteries, and synods of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may use selections of this pub- lication without receiving prior written permission of the publisher. Publishedby The Office of the GeneralAssembly 100 WitherspoonStreet Louisville, KY 40202-1396 Copyright@ 1999 by the Office of the GeneralAssembly PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) Cover design copyright @ 1999 by the Office of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Printed in the United Statesof America Copiesavailable from Presbyterian Distribution Services(PDS), 100 WitherspoonStreet Louisville, KY 40202-1396,or by calling 1-800-524-2612(PDS) or OGA Sales1-888-219-6700 Pleasespecify DMS order#OGA-99-022. PRESBYTERIAN UNDERSTANDING AND USE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE Table of Contents I.ll. IntroductionGuidelines C.D.E.A.B. forVariationsIssuesTheSummary TheScopeofThisStudy InterpretationRelationship of Authority and on a ProspectTheme of and Authority Interpretation ' and Interpretation. , 1 1 2 3 3 4 4 ffi. GuidelinesConcerningWhattheTextSays C.A.B.A. TheThe MotivePurposeUseDevelopment of Originalfor of These of LanguagesThese Guidelines Guidelines ... 4 5 5 6 6 IV. Guidelines E.F. C.C.B.A.B.D. G.H.I. 3.2.2.The ThePrecedenceofHolyScriptureThe 3.The 1. 1. Concerning .ThePriorityofHolyScriptureTheThe PurposeRuleEmploymentRuleUsePriorityCentralityInterpretationFallibilityRelation UseDefinitionRecognitionUnderstanding of of All Love.Faith.Howofofof of of ofof the Experience.KnowledgeRelevant HolyWord AllJesus theof of Plainof Best of ScriptureScriptureInterpretationTextLiterary and oftheChrist SenseGuidelines ManuscriptsSocialIs Spirit Cultural Rightly Units byof and theScripture. ConditioningUsed.HistoricalText. Circumstances. of Language. 7 7 7 7 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 BIBLICAL AUTHORITY AND INTERPRETATION Table of Contents I. II. III. IV. Endnotes Introduction Guidelines Interpretation. B. C. B.Background A. B. A.ScopeoftheDocument Authority A.SamplingtheDenomination and Scripture Exploring Contemporary Current Glossary. Issues in the Recent Reformed Approaches in Interpretation. General Tradition. to Assemblies. Biblical , Study. 19 19 19 20 20 23 31 31 32 33 34 36 Preface The Office of Theology and Worship is responsiblefor keepingbiblical, theological, and wor- ship issuesbefore the church. As part of this responsibility, the office seeksto engagethe church in continuing exploration of the authority and interpretation of Scripture. Thus, the unit and the Office of the General Assemblyare providing Presbyterians with two major church documentsthat address the Bible's place and function within the community of faith. Presbyterian Understandingand Use of Holy Scripture was adopted by the 123rd General Assembly (1983) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States as a position statement of the General Assembly on the interpretation of Scripture. Biblical Authority and Interpretation was received by the 194th General Assembly (1982) of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Its guidelines were adopted by the General Assembly. The two papers were written in responseto the need for a common basis in a diverse church for understanding and using Scripture. The Office of Theology and Worship believes that they remain important resourcesfor the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 1. INTRODUCTION That Holy Scriptureis the "rule of faith and life" is a basic principle of the Refonnation. This con- fessionalaffinnation, in somefonnulation, is a structuralelement of all the Refonnedconfessions. It is stat- ed and developedin the introductorychapt,e! of the WestminsterConfession pfFaith. Therefore,we might be inclined to assumethat it representsa focal point of unity, a sign of commonality,among Presbyterians who are heirs of this Refonnedtradition. A~ Variations on a Theme The truth is that this affirmationis held and practicedamong Presbyterians in a variety of ways. The authority of the Bible is understooddifferently by different groupsand individuals. Different approaches are takento the interpretationof the Bible. Such variety can be stimulating and illuminating, but where the differences become too great, the vari- ety is the source of suspicion, conflict, and theological paralysis. Since Holy Scripture is the principal cri- terion of judgment in taking positions and making decisions, radical differences among us in the way we understand and use Scripture as the rule of faith and practice can weaken our ability to live and work as a community of faith. Especially in the case of the theological and ethical decisions that the courts of our church must make corporately, the diversity has become an important source of difficulty in deliberation and agreement. In the debates over issues of doctrine and ethics that have taken place in recent years, quite personal and individual orientations to Scripture appear.Theological inclinations and the fe~ling about Scripture that they involve are not simply a matter of intellectual history. They are shaped by personality, experience, training, interest, and the like. Observation of Presbyterian constituencies reveals a range of stancestoward the question of Scripture. The following descriptions are only simplified illustrations of such stances: .The point of view that regards Scripture's inerrancy as the hinge of theology and the foundation of faith's certainty and for which every issQe is likely to be taken as a question of the doctrine of Scripture, especially the question of the basis of its trustworthiness. The point of view that doesnot reflect technicaltheories of inspirationbut which regardsthe Bible as a supernaturalbook, a collection of divine oracles,that conveysmessages directly from God to the reader. The point of view that has evolved from one close to inerrancybut which now has as its primary ~oncema moderatingposition, maintainingthe authority of Scripturebut avoids a rigid conceptof merrancy. The point of view that has developedfrom a more conservativeheritage (partly on the basis of his- torical criticism), which is primarily concernedto defend againstany approachthat would under- mine the appropriatenessof historicalcriticism. The point of view arrived at from a somewhatundefined orientation under the influence of twenti- eth century reformulations of biblical authority and interpretation,which has special <;:oncemto maintainthe importanceof Scriptureagainst theological programs and positions that seemto dimin- 'ishits authoritativeuse. .The point of view that may respectScripture as one of the revereddocuments of the churchbut does not seriouslyexpect it to be illuminating or determiningfor importantissues of eith~rfaith or life in the presentday. .The point of view that interprets~cripture one~sidedlybecause of a primary identification with a stance on one of several social or political issues, a stance that is believed to reflect the primary val- ues to faith. The point of view that looks to Scripturefor a~thoritativeguidance on mattersof religious doctrine and personalmortality, but overlooksits teachingswhich have direct and indirect ~aring on com- munallife. With suchdiversity, how do we read the Bible together?And how do we hearthe word of God when decisionsmust be madein the courts of the churchon pressingcontemporary issues? The presence of different theological positions and of many individual orie~tations is, of course, not a peculiar new feature of our time and church. But it poses the question whether we see or can find a com- mon way that allows us to believe and decide as a community in our use of the Bible as the rule of faith and life. B. Issues of Authority and Interpretation While none of the opinionsjust illustrated is an instanceof one distinct, systemati9theology, closer analysisreveals that two issuesare presentthroughout. One issueis that of the authority of the Bible. It concernswhat kind of a rule for faith and life Scriptureis takento be. For example,is Scripturea rule that governsevery possible issue of truth, whetherit be religious,moral, or scientific?Again, are the words of the direct revelation of God, or are thesewords the revelationof God that actually occurred prior to its beingrecorded in Scripture?It is importantto note that to answerthese questions in oppositeways is not to choosefor or againstthe authority of Scripture;it is ratherto chooseone or anotherconception of the authority of Scripture.Whichever way one answers,the authority of Scriptureis being affirmed, albeit in different forms. The second, closely related issue present in this range of opinion is that of theri~t interpretation of the Bible. It concerns the determination of what a text of Scripture in the original actually says and the judg- ment of how what is said is properly used for governing faith and practice. For example, the sixth com- mandment reads in many familiar English translations "Thou shalt not kill" (Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17). Careful attention to the original languages
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