Studying and Teaching the Scriptures

Transcription

1 Studying and Teaching the Scriptures This hit piece on the misinterpretation of the Bible by evangelical s was the lead story in Newsweek s January 2, 2015 edition. Session 11 Exegetical Fallacies

2 Proposed Workgroups 1 Kari Pizzini (L) Beth Lowe Linda Rountree Adia Williamson Toccata Ford 2 Justin Rountree (L) Frank Tamaska David Chandler Brian Gray John Ford 3 Eric Stallings (L) Dave Huether Philp Smith Brad Bingham 4 Mike Hutsel (L) 5 Taylor Thorne Brandon Schaubroeck Josh Glorvigen Jim Schaubroeck(L) Aaron Williamson Luke Pass Ellis Lowe Christian Neal 6 Vic Glymph (L) Steve Pizzini James Wide Daniel Glymph As much as practical, please sit with your team. If your name is not listed join any team. 2

3 Schedule - Studying and Teaching the Scriptures 1 May 17 - Introduction to Course 2 May 24 - A Biblical Approach to Teaching the Scriptures 3 May 31 - The Holy Spirit, Revelation, Inspiration, and Illumination 4 June 7 - How We Received the Bible in English - Video 5 June 14 - Study Tools for Teaching the Scriptures 6 June 21 - Senior Pastor s Thoughts on Studying and Teaching the Bible 7 June 28 - Observation What Does the Scripture Text Say? (with exercise) 8 July 5 - Interpretation What Does the Scripture Text Mean? (with exercise) 9 July 12 - Application How Does the Scripture Text Apply? (with exercise) 10 July 19 - Intro to Grammatical Analysis (Verbs) (with exercise) 11 July 26 - Fallacies/Pitfalls in Interpreting the Scriptures (with exercise) 12 Aug 2 - Developing a Teaching Outline from Scripture (with exercise) 13 Aug 9 - Teaching Practicum 15 min. class presentations 14 Aug 16 - Teaching Practicum 15 min. class presentations 15 Aug 23 - Teaching Practicum 15 min. class presentations (Short Course Exam) 3

4 INTRODUCTION Be diligent to present yourself to be approved by God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God. 2 Tim. 2:16 In this session, we will briefly review common fallacies and pitfalls in interpreting the Scripture text and applying it to life. This is only a quick survey, it is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject. Please note this session does not deal directly with the problem of the enemy s deception of believers or the illumination of the Holy Spirit. It is intended to help you be alert to some of the more obvious human mistakes in interpreting the Scriptures. 4

5 Much of the material from today s session for the most part is from this very helpful book. 5

6 An Introductory Example of a Common Mistake in Interpretation (not from DA Carson) Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow; And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. This is not really about a little girl and her pet lamb It is about Mary the mother of Jesus And especially her devotion to her Son, the lamb And the Son s devotion to Mary in heaven What is the problem here? The meaning is read into the text (eisegesis, not exegesis). The intended meaning of the original author is ignored. The text is treated as an allegory without any justification. The meaning is wrongly interpreted and thus the text will be wrongly applied. 6

7 What is the Underlying Problem of Most Mis-Interpretations of Scripture? The Noetic Effect of the Fall The faculty by which we reason has been seriously disturbed by sin and the fall. The moment you are regenerate is the first time you are disposed to the things of God instead of being opposed to them. However, you still carry the baggage of your unconverted way of thinking with you. We therefore need to continually grow in loving God with our minds. R.C. Sproul We are dealing with God s thoughts: we are obligated to take the greatest pains to understand them truly and to explain them clearly. It is all the more shocking, therefore, to find in the evangelical pulpit ; where the Scriptures are officially revered, frequent inexcusable sloppiness in handing them. All of us will make some exegetical mistakes. But, tragic is the situation when the preacher or teacher is perpetually unaware of he blatant nonsense he utters and of the consequent damage he inflicts on the church of God. DA Carson, p.16 7

8 What Then About Disagreements in Interpretation Among Equally Mature and Devoted Believers? A critical interpretation of Scripture is one that has adequate justification lexical, grammatical, cultural, theological, historical, geographical, or other justification. DA Carson s quote of Bernard Ramm, p if critical exegesis offers sound reasons, it must learn to reject unsound reasons. That is why this study is important. By exposing our exegetical fallacies, we might become better practitioners of critical exegesis. Carson, p. 17. Ultimately, the remaining debates among those who have a high view of Scripture (and who are wise and mature in their disagreements) will be exegetical and hermeneutical, nothing else. Carson, p.19 The fundamental danger with all critical study of the Bible lies in what hermeneutical experts call distanciation. Carson, p. 23 8

9 The Problem of Distanciation Whenever we try to understand the thought of a text (or of another person for that matter), if we are to understand it critically -- that is, not in some arbitrary fashion, but with sound reasons, and as the author meant it to be in the first place we must first of all grasp the nature and degree of the differences that our understanding from the understanding (meaning) of the text. Carson, p. 24 Failure to go through distanciation usually means the interpreter thinks he knows the what the text means, but all too often he or she has simply imposed his or her own thoughts onto the text. Carson, p. 24 The most obvious of these (fallacies involving failure to distance oneself from his or her presuppositions) is reading one s personal theology into the text. Carson. P

10 Ways the Noetic Effect May Affect Our Thinking and Biblical Interpretation Or Why We All Need Humility and Grace in Rightly Handing the Scriptures (Next Two Slides are Not From Carson s Text) 10

11 Common Fallacies in Our Thinking I. RELEVANCY FALLACIES: Use of evidence or examples irrelevant to the argument at hand: Genetic Fallacy consider the source Argumentum Ad Hominem attacking the person rather than the idea Argumentum Ad Populum everybody believes it (or is doing it) Appeal to Tradition that s what we have always believed (or done) Appeal to Improper Authority this is an appeal to a famous or noteworthy person or source Appeal to Emotions It is just how I feel Argument of Adverse Circumstances - We tried that and it did not work before Argument from Personal Incredulity I will never believe that! II. COMPONENT FALLACIES: Errors in Inductive or Deductive Reasoning Begging the Question/Circular Reasoning conclusion is assumed true as evidence for the argument to prove the conclusion. Arguments about Bible doctrine are never successful because no one ever agrees. Hasty Generalization jumping to conclusions without proper evidence. False Cause assuming a cause and effect relationship that does not exist Red Herring attempt to change the argument by referring to irrelevant matter Straw Man making an opponent s argument oversimplified and easy to refute so it can be easily dismissed Non Sequitur it does not follow, conclusion doesn t follow from the argument Slippery Slope or Camel s Nose a second or third step will inevitably follow False Choice wrongly arguing only one of two choices are possible False Analogy making wrong comparison (apples and oranges) 11 Logical Paradox If God is almighty, He can make a stone He can t lift

12 Ways the Noetic Effect May Affect Our Thinking and Our Biblical Interpretation III. AMBIQUITY FALLACIES: Use of ambiguous or vague words whose meanings shift in the argument at hand: Equivocation Using a word in a different way than the author used it in the original premise, or changing definitions halfway through a discussion. Amphiboly ambiguity results from a grammatical construction which is indeterminate Composition arguing that what is true of the parts is true of the whole. Division arguing that what is true of the whole is true of the parts Misplaced Concreteness arguing a partial picture of reality is the whole of it IV. OMISSION FALLACIES: Errors caused by leaving out essential material or arguing on the basis of missing evidence. Stacking the Deck leaving out material that disproves the argument Arguing from the Negative thinking that disproving an opponent s argument proves your argument Argument from Lack of Evidence arguing from a lack of evidence to prove a point or because a matter can t be disproved, it must be true Hypothesis Contrary to Fact If Paul had not believed in Christ, the New Testament would have been incomplete Loaded Question phrasing a question or statement in such as way as to imply another unproven statement is true without evidence or discussion 12

13 Different Types of Exegetical Fallacies (from Carson s Exegetical Fallacies) 1. Word-Study Fallacies (only these are discussed) 2. Grammatical Fallacies 3. Logical Fallacies 4. Presuppositional Fallacies 13

14 Word Study Fallacies 1. Root word fallacy. English and Greek examples: meaning of butterfly meaning of butter + meaning of fly meaning of pineapple meaning of pine + meaning of apple 1 Cor 4:1, So then, men ought to regard us as servants servant hyperetes = under hypo rower + eretes under rower, on a Greek trireme hyperetes never used in classical Greek, LXX or the New Testament for rower It is a guess and a stretch to say hyperetes = under rower 14

15 Word Study Fallacies 2. Semantic anachronism fallacy. bishop episkopos bishop over multiple churches Early church, post-apostolic fathers used the term in this way even though it is never used in this manner by New Testament writers. This is an error still perpetuated by the Roman Catholic Church and others. 15

16 3. Semantic obsolescence. Word Study Fallacies 1 Cor. 11:3, But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. head kephale = source or origin only in classical Greek head kephale source or origin in New Testament/Hellenistic Greek head never translated source or origin in New Testament Greek. Classical Greek (5 th -4 th Cent BC) preceded New Testament Greek 1 st Cent AD) by 500+ years.. Socrates BC Classical Philosopher 500 yrs. Paul 5-67AD? Apostle of Christ 16

17 4. Not considering the context. Word Study Fallacies 1 Cor. 14:34, Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. 26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. 30 But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. v. 34 is in reference to the interpretation of tongues. There are two previous references to men keeping silent. Women were not to interpret tongues on the basis of 1 Tim. 2:12, And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 17

18 Concluding Thoughts Diligence in rightly dividing the Word of God requires that we remember that the Scriptures are infallible, but we are not. To faithfully interpret God s Word, we must prayerfully prepare and carefully study as we are enabled and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 18

19 Session 12 Developing a Teaching Outline from Scripture (with exercise) 19