Comments on: Reader-Response Criticism; When More Exegesis Is Less

By: Paul and Post-Modernism « Crypto-theology

Paul and Post-Modernism « Crypto-theology — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:49:13 +0000

[...] and Post-Modernism A couple of people (Bryan and Jeff) have recently had posts related to biblical hermeneutics in a post-modern setting. Today I had [...]

By: Stray Voltage

Stray Voltage — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:20:24 +0000

Where does that leave scholarly work? If everyone is allowed equal voice in the “message” of the text, then surely there would be no need for clerics or religious institutions…hmm, vanity of vanities, there’s nothing new under the sun

By: Peter M. Lopez

Peter M. Lopez — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:55:19 +0000

Interesting…I know some who really know the Bible well who wouldn’t qualify as a “Bible student” and I know some “Bible students” who wouldn’t know the meaning of scripture if God Himself explained it to them.All of that is to say that there has to be some balance between study and revelation. I think God honors study with revelation (concealing a matter and us searching it out), but many want to rely strictly on revelation without the study. I have fallen into that trap before, and I think we need to learn to walk the fine line.

By: Scripture Zealot

Scripture Zealot — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Thanks Matthew. I was probably using Fee’s quote and the term a little loosely to make my point.

And that makes me wonder–how much should be expected of the Christian who is not a “serious student of the Bible”? I would say everyone should be a serious student of the Bible to some degree. But how far should that go?
Jeff

By: matthew r malcolm

matthew r malcolm — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:50:44 +0000

Of course Fee here pictures an extreme form of reader-response criticism, a la Stanley Fish, in which the author & his/her world is considered completely dead… But there are milder ways in which reader-response theory can be useful: For example, when Paul says in 2 Thessalonians “you know what is currently holding back the man of lawlessness”, Paul expects that his readers will fill in the blanks in order to thoughtfully supply the full meaning – which illustrates that interpretation involves both the horizon of the author and that of its readers, whether 2 months after it was written, or 2,000 years after it was written.But I do agree with you – this approach can be taken way too far and result in comically silly interpretations. As you say, sometimes it’s better to just let the text say what it obviously says!

By: Stan McCullars

Stan McCullars — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:42:34 +0000

Good post. Excellent reminder to all students of the Word.I hate "Bible studies" where you hear phrases like “what it means to me” or “what I feel like it’s saying.”