9/27/2005

Postpropositional Perspective on Scripture

Myron Penner, with credit to Kevin Vanhoozer, offers an insightful entry to the book-blog "A New Kind of Conversation" about a postmodern approach to Scripture:

Scripture, by its own attestation (2Tim. 3:16) and through its use of multiple literary forms and genres, contains more than just propositional revelation. Thus, when we reduce the content of the biblical revelation to propositions we dangerously distort the text with modern philosophical assumptions about the nature of truth and meaning...A postpropositional approach to Scripture places its confidence in Scripture because of its ability to 'make us wise unto salvation,' not because it is a storehouse of universal, infallible true propositions."

In line with my previous post on the "Marignalized Voice," Penner makes this insight into the task of interpretation in a postmodern Christianity:

Postmodern evangelicals will affirm that the hermeneutical task in regards to Scripture is interminable for at least three reasons: 1) because of the continually evolving socio-cultural and personal contexts in which we read Scripture and in which God speaks to us through Scripture; 2) because the intentions of God expressed in His scriptural speech-acts are, in keeping with His being, potentially inexhaustible; but also, 3) because the conceptual-linguistic form of God’s revelation to us in Scripture means that we can never lock down its meaning in one exclusive set of timeless propositional truths.

Good stuff, check it out.

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