https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kiKHg-ZNdU
I think many of us, who call ourselves Christians, think we know what the Bible is all about and thus we have lost our curiosity about, and thus our desire to dig into, the Bible. If you are in that place, you need to get a fresh perspective. I think Enns' book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament, will challenge your preconceived notions and your complacency and reawaken your excitement.
In Chapter 1, Enns' goal is to help set the stage. He acknowledges that many evangelicals are up to date on the manuscript, archaeological and historical evidence related to the biblical texts. Yet, he claims that evangelical biblical scholarship has not engaged many of the issues raised by modern biblical scholarship (1). There are doctrinal implications and "we must be willing to engage that evidence and adjust our doctrine accordingly" (2). What Enns does not want to see is further entrenchment of opposing positions (i.e., liberal vs. conservative, modernist vs. fundamentalist, mainline vs. evangelical or progressive vs. traditionalist), but that we that we move beyond trying to justify our position on scripture and instead embrace and discuss the evidence, and its doctrinal implications, as objectively as possible.
Enns focuses, by choice, on three issues that he says, "Have not been handled well within evangelicalism" (3). First, is how the Old Testament and other literature from the ancient world relate. Second, is dealing with discrepancies and contradictions internally within the collection of books we call the Old Testament. Third, is acknowledging how the New Testament writers use the Old Testament. As he states, "Each of these three points has its own chapter" in his book (4). Chapter 2 deals with the question of the Bible's uniqueness. Does the Bible have to be unique to be understood as God's word? Chapter 3 deals with the Bible's integrity. Does the Bible have to present a completely unified perspective if it is to judged as inspired by God? Chapter 4 deals with the Bible's interpretation. Why do the NT writers apparently quote OT passages often without concerns about the original context of those passages?
He then goes on to explain in brief, "The Incarnational Analogy," that just "as Christ is both God and human, so is the Bible" (5). Every book of the Bible (both OT and NT) was written in an ancient context and must be understood in that context because it was written in order to speak to people in its ancient context. If we accept the idea that the biblical texts are both human and divine, how does that impact what we expect these books to be or be able to tell us today?
Here's is one of the most important quotes from Enns, in my opinion, regarding the human, yet divine aspects of scripture: "When God reveals himself, he always does so to people, which means that he must speak and act in ways that they will understand...It is essential to the very nature of revelation that the Bible is not unique to its environment. The human dimension of Scripture is essential to its being Scripture" (8).
Here is one of the most insightful comments that Enns makes in his introduction: "It is somewhat ironic, it seems to me, that both liberals and conservatives make the same error. They both assume that something worthy of the title word of God would look different from what we actually have" (9). In Chapter 2, he concludes that the Bible is not completely unique. In Chapter 3, the human aspect of the Bible comes into full view, not just in terms of the errors of scribes and translators but in terms of the human aspect of authorship. In Chapter 4, Enns helps the reader see that the NT writers' hermeneutic is quite different from the modern conservative hermeneutic, since they interpreted OT passages in ways that pointed everything to Christ, even in OT contexts where it is obvious that the coming Messiah (Hebrew for Christ) is not under consideration.
He concludes in Chapter 5: The Big Picture. He states, "We trust the Bible, not because we can show that there is no diversity, but because we believe, by the gift of faith, in the one who gave Scripture to us. We are to place our trust in God who gave us Scripture, not in our own conceptions of how Scripture ought to be" (159). What we need to have, in light of the growing manuscript, archaeological and historical evidence which pertains to the construction and content of the Bible, is humility. Rather than trying to fit the Bible into our preconceived idea of what a text inspired by God should be like, we need to examine and strive to understand the Bible in terms of what it actually is. Such an approach would be "a breath of fresh air...a testimony to those around us" (162).
In light of my own research over the last few years, being in a position where my preconceived notion of what "inspired by God" had to mean was constantly challenged, I am refreshed by the "Incarnational Model" of inspiration. I no longer feel the need to defend God and his word, but I am free to explore it and see it for all its richness. I live in one of the most beautiful places on this planet, but sometimes when I go for a walk, in order to be active or even get some exercise, I totally miss all the beauty that surrounds me because I'm so focused on getting to where I am going as quickly as I can. I don't stop and just look around at the mountains, the ocean, the massive trees, the vegetation, and the wildlife. That's how I used to study the biblical texts. I went into the Bible with a specific goal and in order to achieve that goal I had to keep my eyes fixed and my gaze narrowed. Now I get into the Bible with a broader gaze and a more general goal. I stop in places to rest, to explore, to question, to theorize, to doubt, to praise and/or to acknowledge, whatever seems most appropriate. My curiosity about the Bible has been restored as it was in my early Christian days, after this atheist turned and committed his life to following Jesus.
I would encourage each of you regardless of where you are at spiritually to get Enns' book and read it with an open mind and heart and see if it doesn't lead you to a new or renewed desire to get into this most famous of books ever compiled.
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