What Does Love Look Like? - The Question of Hermeneutics

1. The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name
May your kingdom come, may your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who sin against us
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
Forever and ever.
Amen.

3. WHATEVER YOUR
POSITION:
1. Don’t give up – we know
this is hard, and your
brain pushes against it…
2. Make a special point
to read from the other
perspectives…
INVITATION &
CHALLENGE

6. Gen 19
Lev 18/20
1 Cor 6
1 Tim 1
Rom 1
TRADITIONAL PROGRESSIVE
Not relevant
Design + Culture
Narrow + Design
Clear + Design + Evil
Design + Idolatry
Not relevant
Culture + Culture
Broad + Culture
Unclear + Culture + Evil
Culture + Idolatry
BIBLE

7. Gen 1-3
Matt 19
Mark 10
Rom 1
Eph 5
Rev 19
TRADITIONAL PROGRESSIVE
100% Prescriptive
100% Relevant
100% Relevant
Design + Idolatry
Prescriptively Relevant
Prescriptively Relevant
Pre + Descriptive
Partially Relevant
Partially Relevant
Culture + Idolatry
Descriptively Relevant
Descriptively Relevant
BIBLE

8. How Do We Interpret
What We Read in Scripture?
THE QUESTION of
HERMENEUTICS

9. 1. Commands/Rules Wisdom?
2. Exemplar Paul/Ruth/Jonathan
3. Symbolic Worlds Gen/Gal
4. Virtues Gal 5
5. Flat All scripture is equal
6. TraditionOn our side /Yes, but…
7. Et.al.
HERMENEUTIC
AL
STRATEGIES

10. Gen 1-3
TRADITIONAL PROGRESSIVE
100% Prescriptive Pre + Descriptive
BIBLE
Male/Female
complementarity,
in a theoretically
pro-creative union,
is a prescribed rule
(even if it’s set forth
in a “symbolic world”
like early Genesis)
Early Genesis
describes how ANE
Israelites understood
creation; portrays
the virtues of faithful
covenant commitments;
Galatians 3 envisions a
new “symbolic world”
to be read w/science…

11. 1. Commands/Rules
2. Exemplar
3. Symbolic Worlds
4. Virtues
5. Flat
6. Tradition
7. Et.al.
HERMENEUTIC
AL
STRATEGIES
THE POINT:
Everyone
makes a
choice!

12. …biblical authors do not specifically
address peer same-sex relationships
as an ethical issue, (but) condemned
a form of homoeroticism that
involved exploitation and
misogynistic gender norms…
to say (they) object to prostitution
or pederasty is not to say (they must)
object to monogamous, covenanted
(same sex) relationships.
KAREN KEEN

13. …the interpretive key is attention
to human need. Preexisting divine
revelation (needs to be) applied
with a pastoral eye for the suffering
(or likelihood of potential suffering)
of those involved…God’s ordinances
are always on behalf of people
and not for arbitrary appeasement
of God’s sensibilities.
KAREN KEEN

14. Traditionalists assert that same-sex
relationships are always prohibited
because the proscription is based on
a creation ordinance, (but) a creation
ordinance in and of itself does not
mean we can neglect the deliberative
process in applying biblical mandates
today…mandates are applied with
attention to human need/suffering.
KAREN KEEN

15. HERMENEUTIC
AL
STRATEGIES
THE POINT:
Everyone
makes a choice
AND must be willing
to take responsibility
for its impact…

17. The Jesus Creed
Hear O’ Israel
the LORD our God,
the LORD is one;
You shall love the LORD your God
with all your heart, will all your soul,
with all your mind, and with all your strength,
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment
greater than these.
Amen.