Hi Austin

Thank you for your comment at Provoketive Magazine (http://provoketive.com). We’re creating a space of rich conversation about life, faith, justice and culture without judgment. Our desire is to provoke the reader’s imagination through conversation and open up spaces of dialogue, learning, and hope.  We want to invite you to come back soon and continue to participate in the conversation. 

Thank you,
Jonathan Brink
Provoketive Magazine

You posted the following comment:
---------------------------------
It is dangerous to say that People redefined words, and therefore, we can do the same. If the Bible is the Word of God, then the meanings intended by the original authors (or speakers if you hold to the theory that many of these were spoken at one time, and written down later) to the original audience. If we are willing to add/change the meanings of words, grammar, etc, then the Word of God changes over time. While that may be what you are intending, it is concerning to me. If the Word of God changes over time, then we end up with the possibility of Scripture saying very different things tomorrow than it did yesterday - Jesus wasn't really God (He himself said that he was the son of God and the son of man, so clearly, he was just a man like all of us who are called sons of God), there is no afterlife (we know better now, this was merely a cultural artifact), etc.

I think you are also mistaken in some of your details. Jesus didn't reinterpret scripture to be SOLELY redemptive, but to be leading to the redemptive climax. He Himself said "I have not come to change the law, but to perfect it". It's a question of highlighting the redemptive nature of God, which only has an effect in the context of a sinful world. The 1st century Christians may have reinterpreted the word of God to apply both scripture and Christ. That's not the same as reinterpreting marriage to apply to both heterosexual and homosexual couples (in contradiction to the Bible), or reinterpreting the words that decry homosexuality to apply only to what we currently view as clearly inappropriate homosexual relationships (men and boys or temple prostitution as have been mentioned here). It seems like we are ignoring the judging, holy, awesome God we see in the Old Testament and in Revelation (and Acts - Ananias and Sapphira had an experience with Him) who played out the drama of judgement on His son as a substitutionary sacrifice so that He could eliminate the obstacles that we have built between God and ourselves in favor of the loving self-sacrificial God who in love and mercy accepted this judgement knowing full-well what the cost would be to Himself. We are in danger of ignoring the Father because we like the Son so well. Not only that, we are ignoring the difficulties Jesus raised for his disciples to come to Him (let the dead bury the dead -you must eat my flesh and drink my blood, and it is true flesh and true blood - You will indeed suffer what I will suffer - you must daily pick up your cross and follow me).

The Christian walk is a hard one, and will ask something of each one of us that we don't want to give.

As to whether my hermeneutic is wrong... It's entirely possible. Acknowledging that doesn't overturn my beliefs. It's merely acknowledging the human nature of understanding. We are still responsible to come to the best conclusion that we are capable of. As Saint Anselm said so well, we are [people] of faith seeking understanding. While I might acknowledge my potential wrongness, you must also. If we disagree on a point that is not fundamental to salvation, I'll call you brother and we'll talk. If we still can't come to an agreement, I'll call you brother and I'll go away praying for greater enlightenment for both of us so that we can continue to love and pursue God in the best way possible. If we disagree on an issue fundamental to salvation, I might not call you brother, but I'll still talk to you. If we still don't agree, I may call you heretic and walk away praying for greater enlightenment so that we can continue to love and pursue God in the best way possible.

On this topic in particular, I think we have a peripheral issue that may affect core issues. The Bible must still be authoritative, or the basis for Faith is overthrown.

Austin