More on contextual biblical authority from Brian Blount in "Struggling with Scripture."
...ethical biblical authority is contextual biblical authority. Now, what does that mean? Think of it this way: Loving God is in some ways like watching silent movies. There are kaleidoscopes of colorful emotion, juggernauts of reeling action, and narrative schemes of implied ethical direction. But there is not sound.
Yet, there is a voice. Every story, every power has its own voice, a way of viewing the world and being viewed by it that signals a message as much by how it "speaks" as by what it "says." Voice, though, does not necessarily require sound. It needs only an audience and a channel to reach it. The physical ear need not be involved.
Again, an interesting image for listening to the word offered to us in Scripture. When we each read the words...or hear them...we listen with our lives. The voice may be my own voice giving expression to what is presented as the Word. It speaks as I speak or as I hear. Even passages that seem to be quite straight forward can be words that are heard differently among us. So how do we deal with the voices we hear? It could be that we allow ourselves the opportunity to listen to what others hear. The voices may be quite different and therefore the beginning of some discussion that will enable us to faithfully hear God's Word among us. It is within that discussion around how differently we hear that we will be present among that lasting word that opens itself up to us in new ways even as this day breaks open before us.
Connection: What is the silent voice bringing into how you view your life of faith today and among others?
You are the voice that calls us into life, O God. Sometimes you sound so much like our own voices and at other times, we do not want to hear what you bring to us. Open us up to the many ways your voice will sound to us as we faithfully contemplate our life in your presence. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment