Conservatives / Fundamentalists, (Fact-Literal) Bible Readers.

There are three foundational questions about the Bible that are seen in different ways by the two groups: the Bible's Origin, Authority, and Interpretation. For the first group (from here on called ... fundamentalists):

• The Bible's Origin is from God. It is the Word of God. The book is considered inerrant and infallible.
• The Bible's Authority is based on the fact that the work is divine. It is God's Word and therefore the Bible's authority is unquestionable.
• As for interpretation, there is no need for interpretation because the Bible is taken as fact and literal, unless the language is clearly metaphorical. (e.g. The mountains clapped their hands for Joy).

The conflict between the fundamentalists and the moderate Bible readers can been seen in three key issues.

• Creationism vs. Evolution;
• The issue of Homosexuality and Church inclusion; and
• Contemporary Jesus Scholarship.

The protestant reformation took place because of the development of the printing press and the ability to translate Latin & Greek into the various Western European languages of the day: Italian, German, French, Spanish, English. It took some 300 -- 400 years for the Religious foundations of fundamentalism to catch up with the modern world and it's science. In our modern world this religious view blossomed within Christianity and other religions.

Look at what is happening within Islam today as a result of fundamentalism.

Before the Protestant Reformation and the splintering of the Catholic Church, people read the Bible as "Natural Literalists". That is, their view of the world allowed them to read the Bible taking all the Scriptures as being in harmony with their worldview.

With the industrial revolution and the advent of modern science our Western worldview changed. People could no longer read the Bible as "Natural Literalists". The people who want to continue to read the Bible in this way are "Conscious Literalists". These people are aware of the problems posed by a literal reading of the Bible but insist on in anyway, it's a matter of faith for them to believe what they are reading. Fundamentalists and many evangelical denominations are conscious literalists, as Bible readers.

Six adjectives describe this older more traditional and conservative way of seeing the Bible.

• Literal in their reading of the Bible;
• Doctrinal (focused on creeds, prayers, etc.);
• Moralistic, two aspects
• Being Good, following God's Law"
• Dynamic of Sin, guilt, and forgiveness
• Patriarchal, male dominated;
• Exclusive, Jesus is the only true salvation;
• Afterlife-oriented.

We are aware of Religious Pluralism. People find spirituality in various religions as: Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and Druids to name just a few forms of Religion; not to mention the various sects within the Christian religion: Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Unitarians, Eastern Orthodox, & Greek Orthodox.

Does it possibly make sense that the creator of the whole universe would be known to only one religious tradition. And how fortunate that it just happens to be our own? This whole line of reasoning is certainly not in tune with our Christian concept of "Grace". Putting a requirement on religious belief in order to be in relationship with God is counter to the concept of "God's Grace".

We are aware of Historical and Cultural Relativity. We are shaped and conditioned by the time and place in which we live as well as the social and economic class that we are in. Tom Smith-Myott also had a lot to say on this topic last week in his discussion of hermeneutics last week.

We are Modern people. The major characterizations of the modern world include a scientific way of knowing. A worldview where our perception of what is, is a reflection of our scientific view of the world. As Borg puts it, what is real can be known through various methods of science and Epistemology (how we know) becomes ontology (what is real).

Although this worldview, of pure science, is already superseded in theoretical physics, it continues to operate powerfully in our mind. Modernity has produced much of great value, but one of its most troubling effects is that it has made us skeptical of spiritual reality.

Modern culture is also preoccupied with factuality. Western culture is the only one that has "wrongly" identified truth with factuality. If a statement isn't scientifically or historically factual it isn't true. Where does that leave Myth and Metaphor?

In the Middle Ages reading the Bible as a "Natural Literalist", accepting the Bible, did not require faith. Faith had to do with one's relationship with God, not with whether one thought the Bible was true.

We live on the boundary to a Post Modern World. In this world we recognize that perception is reality. We know that modern world itself is a culturally conditioned, relative historical construction. In this new world we turn to experience. Spirituality is the experienced dimension of religion. We also recognize that stories can be true without being factually or literally true. Metaphor and Myth can be profoundly true and powerful when our preconceived Western shackles fall away. We are free to understand the Bible in a new way.

We are free to re-vision or see the Bible again. Being a Christian is not about believing in the Bible or about believing in Christianity. Rather, it is about a deepening relationship between God to whom the Bible points, and you as an individual and the larger faith community of which you are a part.

Chapter 2: Reading Lenses -- The Bible and God.

The Bible as a Human Response to God

The Bible was a product of two ancient communities. The Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) is a product of ancient Israel. The New Testament is a product of the early Christian movement, as part of the Roman empire. What the Bible says are the words of those communities not God's words. As a product of these two communities, the Bible tells us about how the communities saw things, not about how God sees things. This is not to deny the existence or importance of God.

5 examples of confusing Bible as Product of God vs. a Human Product.

• What does God say about this and then quoting the Bible;
• Reading Genesis as a wonderful creation story from the Tribes of Israel. Clearly true as metaphor, myth and symbol to us of what beauty creation can be;
• Laws of God: The issue of homosexuality and its moral implications today being confused with the Hebrew Laws of BCE 400 when the Hebrew Laws were written along with others forbidding the use of two types of cloth being used in the same garment.
• The issue of male circumcision; finally
• The issue of male domination of women;

Why not see the Bible as both Divine and Human? Because that leads to the question, which parts are human and which parts are Divine? Which commandments are more important, the 10 commandments or the one forbidding two kinds of cloth to be used in the same garment? We as a people just simply confer divine authority on the parts that we see as important to us, what matters, either conservative or liberal.

All of the Bible is a human product generated in response and union with God. We need to be able to hear and value its various voices. We should read the Bible and ask what is the ancient author or community saying? How does that relate to my faith experience and relationship with God today?

The Bible as a Sacred Scripture

Canonization = how the word becomes sacred. The Biblical Canon names the primary collection of ancient documents with which Christians are to be in continuing dialogue.

The Hebrew Bible:

• Law, Torah, or Pentateuch (including the Genesis Creation Stories) became sacred about 400 BCE
• The Prophets had achieved Sacred status by 200 BCE; and
• The Writings (Wisdom) had been canonized by 100 CE.

• 27 Books had become sacred, canonized scripture, by 367 CE.

Biblical Status vs. Origin.

To speak of the Bible as Sacred points to its status not it's origin. As sacred scripture the Bible is the primary set of writings that define who we are in relation to God and who we are as a community and as individual Christians.

Said another way, religions are born within an existing culture-linguistic world, before the text becomes sacred. If the religion survives eventually the text becomes sacred and the stories and practices, its teachings and rituals become the way in which members of the religion see reality and their own lives. The Bible becomes our vision or identify, "Constitution or Foundation". The Bible is the ground of the world in which we Christians live. We are a community to be shaped by scripture.

The Bible as a Sacrament of the Sacred

Sacramental is "A means of Grace"

Sacrament is commonly defined as a mediator of the sacred, a vehicle by which God becomes present, a means though which the Spirit is experienced. Anything can be a sacrament: nature, music, prayer, birth, death, sexuality, poetry, person, pilgrimage, or even participation in sports.

However the Bible often functions as a sacramental way in the lives of Christians. It had an affect in the conversion experiences of St. Augustine, Martin Luther and John Westley, each happened though emersion in the scripture. The Spirit addressed each person in the present through the holy scriptures.

Ignatius of Loyola used biblical text to further people's relationship with God through emersion in the scripture.

The practice of "Lectio Divina" entails reading the scripture text 3 times. Read and then medicate with a period of silence, then re-read and meditate again on the scripture, then re-read and medicate a final time. This is done to allow the Spirit of God to speak though the words of the Biblical text. If we have time do this with John 1, 1:18.

The Liturgy of the Word is a sacrament just as the Eucharist is a sacrament. In both of these Sacraments the Spirit, and Jesus become present to us in the same way. Just the form is different.

• The Word of the Lord.
• Some thoughts from Ancient Israel; or
• Some thoughts from the early Christian movement.

• Hear what the Spirit saying to the Church.

The Bible as the Word of God

Word is meant in a metaphorical and non-literal sense. We disclose or reveal ourselves though words. The Bible is a means of divine self-disclosure. Disclosure thought sacred scriptures of the people who believe in God. As said before the Word of God becomes the mediator (sacrament) of the sacred where the Spirit of God addresses us in the present.

3 Metaphors for Seeing the Bible.

• The Buddhist story of the man's finger pointing to the moon. Don't confuse the finger for the moon it's pointing to. I.E. The Bible is just the finger; our Christian relationship to others, to community, to God is that to which the finger points.
• The Bible is a Lens itself. I.E. The Lens through which we see God. There is a critical difference between believing in the lens and using the lens as a way of seeing what is beyond it.
• The Bible is a Sacrament.

Thank you cousin you did a fabulous job with a lot of information and an unruly bunch!

When we got to the part that talks about Borg's idea that "Metaphor and Myth can be profoundly true and powerful when our preconceived Western shackles fall away." And that, "Being a Christian is not about believing in the Bible or about believing in Christianity. Rather, it is about a deepening relationship between God to whom the Bible points, and you as an individual and the larger faith community of which you are a part." One of us asked the question if we could we include Christ as well in the part about what it is to be a Christian. Yes, that was the question...could it read, 'being a Christian is not about believing in the Bible, Christianity or Christ?' A charged and important question that begs for discussion.

This may be as good a time as any for an Editor's note. It came up in large group but we didn't have the time to discuss it. The question is, Isn't it time we moved on from the idea of Salvation as it comes to us in Christianity/Religion? How healthy is it to be raised and have it be such a part of our world view that we take for granted that we need to be saved from something? Saved from what, I am not sure...God's anger? Our sinful selves? This idea is based in the emotion of fear and I don't see how fear can ever be saving in those terms. Salvation is not attained by looking to another or believing or repeating a certain creed or dogma. It is a completely natural and normal way of being that comes from our love of and cooperation with ourselves and our fellow human beings right now. As Tom mentioned a few weeks ago, 'the church moved salvation to an external, future event dependent upon an external God's judgment,' the purpose of which was to control.

Secondly, and this is only a question from a naïve sociopath who while growing up was shielded from much of the more ceremonial workings of the Catholic Church, but I guess I am having trouble with the idea of grace which was also brought up by Borg and in some of our small groups. Borg states that "Putting a requirement on religious belief in order to be in relationship with God is counter to the concept of God's Grace." Now, I can agree with that statement but the fact that we even talk about God's Grace like it is something we have to attain or that there is something we have to do to attain it troubles me. If it isn't believing in religious doctrine, what are the requirements? Father George in a homily a good while ago told a story of how he told the congregation that we are already saved. It's a done deal. Someone asked him why they came to church every Sunday if they were already saved and George told him that it was something he would have to figure out for himself. My point in the story is that I gathered that George's point was that in Jesus' passion, death and resurrection, we all, everyone, attained salvation. Is this then true of Grace? Does the church teach that Jesus had to die for us to have Grace or to be loved by God? I've always felt that Grace is a natural state that we are all born into, and in the most basic of terms, can never be out of. No conditions, no tests, no punishments for past deeds, etc. Anyway, someone shall enlighten me soon and it may be fodder for next time around.

Wait a minute, we're late for treats!! Yowser! Bwca wacca wacca! So we make our way to the treat index and find our senses over stimulating to the max! While waiting in line for the fabulous creamy vanilla ice cream to be dished up with FRESH raspberries, strawberries and bananas with chocolate syrup optional (Are you kidding me??), one bid their time deciding which of the three types of fudge they should have, just to hold one over. We noticed Butterfinger fudge, pecan fudge and turtle fudge! You're killin me! The fact that we were a bit late coming back from break to join our small groups was completely understandable.

We decided to practice the Lectio Divina that was mentioned in the book and the facilitator had a passage picked out for the occasion. Lectio Divina entails reading the scripture text 3 times. Read then meditate with silence, then re-read and meditate and one final time. This is not to study, or to be critical but to allow the Spirit of God to speak through the words of the text.

We did this in our small groups and read John 1, 1:18. It proved to be quite an experience and if you would like to find out what happened, show up next Tuesday, we may do more!

We closed with a new prayer from Michael Moorwood's book, "Is Jesus God?"

We will be discussing chapter 3 next week and the Privileges include:

• Facilitator Bob
• O. Prayer Jeanne
• C. Prayer Rik
• Treats Linda
• Cleanup Lee
• Bookstore
  • After 9
  • After 11 Rik

Thank you and remember that peace is upon us.

Rik

"St. Joan of Arc Bible Study is an open and growing group that meets for fellowship and to discuss the Bible and other faith-centered literature. Our informal study group draws from biblical scholarship, historical perspectives, current events and personal reflections. We welcome honor and respect the personal ideas and spiritual journeys of all who join us."