Friday, January 02, 2009

Don't sell God short...

“Theological interpretation has a much more ambitious, constructive goal than simply analysis of the text; it is to form communities of Christian disciples who can perform the Scriptures faithfully and creatively, and to inform the theological reflection of such disciples individually and ecclesially.

“We may describe this principle of theological interpretation in terms of its function: scriptural interpretation is the primary means by which God effects (in traditional Catholic terms) the church’s ongoing conversion, that is (in traditional Protestant terms), the church’s continuous reformation, or (in Orthodox language) the church’s increasing participation in the life of the Triune God—its divinization, or theosis.”—The Elements of Biblical Exegesis, page 154

<idle musing>
There's that word again, theosis. It just keeps popping up all over the place on this blog :)

And, always remember, it is only by the power of God (grace) that any of this can happen. We can study all we want, learn all the languages we want, but ultimately it all depends 100% on God's abiding presence in our lives.
</idle musing>

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