Our sameness on the nature of the biblical text The Bibles
authority is lodged in its central saving message We recognize that
the Spirit empowered the biblical writers to make a good confession
Our differences on the meaning of specific texts in biblical times
and/or the applicability of these specific texts today We recognize
that the authors were humans who lived 2,000- 3,000 years ago, and
these authors wrote from their historical and social contexts
(including the limitations of these contexts)
Slide 3
All Scripture- the entire Old Testament in the LXX version -
God breathed 2 Tim 3:16 Lutherans affirm the divine and human
authorship of Scripture At the time of authorship, did the authors
think they were writing the Bible?
Slide 4
The canon of the New Testament is a selection from a wider
collection of writings that were considered inspired in the early
church The inspired books that made it into the NT canon were of
sound doctrine, wide usage, and apostolic in origin. There were
other inspired books that did not make the cut.
Slide 5
Our unity comes from the gospel and the sacraments, from one
Lord, one faith, and one baptism Our unity is sealed and empowered
by regular reception of the means of grace Our daily prayers are
for the unity of the church Through mutual conversation and
consolation, we seek to overcome all impediments to unity Our unity
is within reconciled diversity
Slide 6
Slide 7
Literal method Allegorical method Tropological or ethical
method Eschatological method And the faith was maintained! We learn
much from these mothers and fathers in the faith, but we are 21 st
century Lutherans who read the Bible with our own methods, from our
own chronological and sociological locations in modernity or post-
modernity
Slide 8
Slide 9
Luther: Hebrews was not written by an apostle and it denies and
forbids to sinners any repentance after baptism.
Slide 10
Luther: James is opposed to all the rest of Scripture in
ascribing justification to works; James does not mention the
Passion of Jesus, the resurrection, or the Spirit of Christ 23 Thus
the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and
it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the
friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and
not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also
justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them
out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is also dead. (James 2:23-26)
Slide 11
Luther: The apostles do not deal with visions, but prophesy in
clear and plain words I can in no way detect that the Holy Spirit
produced it [Revelation] .He [the author]seems to me to be going
much too far when he commends his book so highly. 1546 Luther
changed his mind. Identified sixth evil angel with Mohammed, and
the mighty angel with the rainbow and the bitter scroll (10:1,
9-10) with the papacy.
Slide 12
All the Scriptures show us Christ; and St. Paul will know
nothing but Christ. Whatever does not teach Christ is not yet
apostolic, even though St. Peter or St. Paul does the teaching.
Again, whatever preaches Christ would be apostolic, even if Judas,
Annas, Pilate, and Herod were doing it. Prefaces to the New
Testament, 45.
Slide 13
Do you take the Bible literally? Yes, I take the Bible
literally and I recognize its historical context.
Slide 14
We confess first of all that Jesus is the Word of God incarnate
(2.02a) The proclamation of Gods message to us as both Law and
Gospel is the Word of God, revealing judgment and mercy (2.02b) The
canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the written
Word of God. Inspired by Gods Spirit speaking through their
authors, they record and announce Gods revelation centering in
Jesus Christ (2.02c)
Slide 15
This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source
and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life (2.03). What we
preach What we believe How we live (ethics) Are there other sources
for our proclamation, faith, and life?
Slide 16
First published 1983; 2 nd ed 2007
Slide 17
It cannot be overly stressed that, for Luther, what counted was
the material contents of the book and not its formal position
within Scripture. Thus although Luther retained the established
canon of the ancient church, he discovered within it a canon by
which all its parts could be judged. Authority of Scripture =
gospel content Lutheran orthodoxy: authority because of inspiration
and inerrancy
Slide 18
The authority of Scripture, for Luther and his followers, was
affirmed with respect to its chief purpose of declaring the gospel
of Christ for faith and salvation; in modern Protestant
fundamentalism, which ironically claims to bear the legacy of the
Reformation, the authority of Scripture is extended to include
infallible information on all kinds of subjects. Carl Braaten
Slide 19
The Bible can only be studied as Holy Scripture within the
context of the church. The authority of the Bible as the churchs
book is centered in the authority of the churchs Lord. Carl Braaten
The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (Matt 9:6)
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations. (Matt 28:18-20)
Slide 20
Slide 21
Historical Critical Method Exegesis is the most ecumenical of
the theological disciplines A Lutheran hermeneutic Reading the
Bible from ones social location As women and men As persons of
color, languages other than English, majority culture/other
cultures As Lutherans in the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin and in
Chicago As scholars, pastors, SAMs, AIMs. Diaconal ministers, and
lay people
Slide 22
Biblical authors carried with them presuppositions about life
and society that we no longer share. Polygamy, slavery, blood
vengeance, death by stoning and by burning, Holy War, genocide, and
patriarchy
Slide 23
So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the
Negeb and the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings; he left
no one remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as
Yahweh the God of Israel had commanded. Josh 10:40 You must not let
anything that breathes remain alive. Deut 20:16
Slide 24
The biblical writers lived in an agrarian, slave- based,
patriarchal, polygamous society, and they presupposed beliefs about
the physical world and social relations that we can no longer
accept. They expressed their insights in terms appropriate to the
times in which they were writing, and it was therefore inevitable
that they should reflect the attitudes, outlooks and beliefs of the
people of their age. Eryl W. Davies, The Immoral Bible: Approaches
to Biblical Ethics. London: T & T Clark, 2010.
Slide 25
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matt 16:19 Truly I tell you,
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matt 18:18 Different
from: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained. John 20:23
Slide 26
How has this worked out in various ecclesiastical decisions?
Binding: 5 th commandmentabortion, capital punishment, and
participating in the military although these decisions have not
been easy or without dissenters Loosing: Be fruitful and
multiplyone is not to reproduce oneself without any limits Binding
and loosing assigned to the church as a whole
Slide 27
New Testament 1946; Old Testament - 1952
Slide 28
These Bibles must be read with extreme care
Slide 29
The authority of the Bible deals with its announcement of
judgment and salvation It is a significant challenge to determine
the meaning of the Bible in antiquity and its significance for our
time The Bible advocates a high ethical standard that accuses us
all. The Ten Commandments offer a clear ethical word, but the
Decalogue is by no means comprehensive in its implications
Slide 30
The Ten Commandments
Slide 31
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Slide 32
Luther recognized that some laws in the Bible were outdated or
did not apply in his time and place. Mary Jane Haemig, Lutheran
Study Bible, 1522. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. What
does this mean? Luther offers a new commandment! We are to fear and
love God, so that we do not despise preaching or Gods Word, but
instead keep that Word holy and gladly hear and learn it. Small
Catechism
Slide 33
3rd
Slide 34
You shall not murder or You shall not kill Can one be a
soldier? Capital punishment? Taking someone off life support
systems Euthanasia? Abortion? You shall not commit adultery = a man
sleeping with another mans wife Married at 14/15; entered into by a
contract between parents For us: marriage is much delayed; entered
into through the dating process
Slide 35
Charles H. Cosgrove, Appeal to Scripture in Moral Debate. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002
Slide 36
The purpose or justification behind a biblical moral rule
carries greater weight than the rule itself. Charles Cosgrove
Slide 37
Major premise: Do not exploit the poor Minor premise: Lending
at interest exploits the poor Conclusion: Do not lend at interest
The minor premise is no longer (or not necessarily) valid in our
society The purpose behind the law still stands: Do not exploit the
poor.
Slide 38
Analogical reasoning is an appropriate and necessary method for
applying Scripture to contemporary moral issues. Charles Cosgrove
Abolitionists in the 19 th century applied the story of the Exodus
to the issue of American Slavery
Slide 39
There is a presumption in favor of giving greater weight to
countercultural tendencies in Scripture that express the voice of
the powerless and the marginalized than to those tendencies that
echo the dominant voices of the culture. Charles Cosgrove The Bible
is against those cultural institutions that serve the interests of
the powerful in ways that harm the powerless
Slide 40
Scientific (or empirical) knowledge provides a new context for
Scripture. Charles Cosgrove The age of the earth The capabilities
of women The dietary regulations of Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14
(see also Acts 10)
Slide 41
Moral-theological considerations should guide hermeneutical
choices between conflicting plausible interpretations. Charles
Cosgrove Any interpretation of Scripture is wrong that separates or
sets in opposition love for God and love for fellow human beings.
The Presbyterian Church, 1983
Slide 42
The central authoritative role that Scripture plays is in
announcing the grace of God to us all There is often not an easy,
one-to-one equation between biblical words and their applicability
in our times and cultures The limitations of the biblical writers
The complexities of the hermeneutical rules that get us from there
to here Our own limitations
Slide 43
Slide 44
For this is enough for the true unity of the Christian church
that the gospel is preached harmoniously according to a pure
understanding and the sacraments are administered in conformity
with the divine Word. Augsburg Confession, Article VII
Slide 45
The basic premise [in Lutheran orthodoxy] was the clarity of
Scripture; the Bible is not a dark and obscure book that only a few
professors can understand. This does not mean that all the passages
are clear, only that all that is necessary for Christian faith and
life is clearly revealed in Scripture. Carl Braaten
Slide 46
The Hebrew Bible [and the New Testament] should not be regarded
as the deposit of timeless, universal principles; what it contains,
rather, are historically specific texts which were intended to
address some of the burning issues of the day. Eryl W. Davies