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Before addressing this issue of biblical interpretation in our multicultural and ever-changing world, the first thing that I must say is perhaps that which many of you already know: I am a theologian and not a biblical scholar. While scripture is typically a significant source for much of our Christian theologies, and while our biblical interpretations inevitably have theological implications, the language, the tools and the overall nature of the disciplines are quite different. While I have a profound respect for the delicate and intricate hermeneutical skills required in the field of biblical scholarship, it is important for me to approach this timely issue as a theologian and not a biblical scholar. That said, however, there are some methodological concerns that I believe are germane to both theological and biblical interpretation and certainly significant to our discussion this afternoon.
Just as our theologies reflect as much, if not more, about the persons doing them as they do about God, so too do our perspectives on the Bible. No theology emerges in a social, historical or cultural vacuum, and neither does any particular interpretation or approach to scripture. Both theological and biblical discourse are shaped by the complicated historical realities of the persons conducting them. Just as our theologies reflect the particular complex reality into which God has entered and out of which God's revelation is perceived and understood, so too do our approaches to the Bible. The texts we go to, the way we read those texts, and the authority which we give the Bible itself are inevitably informed by who we are as embodied beings, how we experience life socially and culturally, as well as what we perceive as the meaning and value of life. It is for this reason that as we contemplate this issue of biblical interpretation we must remember that we cannot talk about any singular or universal approach to the biblical witness. Instead, we must recognize that just as there are various anfiles of vision from which to perceive God's revelation, there are various ways in which to view the biblical witness to that revelation.
Yet, with that said, I am not suggesting a kind of vulgar relativism in which anything goes. Such a vulgar relativism is found in...