Biblical Interpretation

Thanks to Chris for posting the link to the Bibilical Interpretation powerpoint. I have put it below again for reference to my comments.

This presentation is based on a two-part talk I heard back in 2002 as part of a spring break retreat to the Rockies. After sitting pretty much dormant in the back of my brain for several years, I remembered it and wanted to put it in a more concise format for sharing.

The main points of the teaching can be summed up as follows:

We need to give careful consideration to how we approach God's Word. As part of this approach, we need to commit to utilizing a sound interpretive process for our reading.

A very basic interpretive process includes first finding out what the text meant to the original readers, then recognizing the truth principles which underpin the text and hold true even still, and lastly making contemporary and personal applications.

Doing this will help us to walk wisely in between two poor alternatives. The first mistake is to do what I often do: to read a portion of scripture but not put any critical thought into it and stop thinking about it once I close my Bible. James 1:22 speaks to us about the folly of doing this. The other mistake is to do what I also sometimes do: to read a portion of scripture and make an application with only a partial or incomplete understanding of the context in which the passage lies.

Biblical Interpretation

-Kelly Blackwell