How to Read the Bible Through Maturity and Meat
The Fragment Theory of Interpretation suffers because it doesn't understand babies, nor does it enjoy good food.
There are distinct interpretive models of biblical history. Some ancient models abuse symbols; some models begin with the assumption that certain narratives are corrupt; some Marcionite models exclude Old Testament narratives because they convey a sobering God who specializes in hate. Some models pour their time and space into frameworks that do not provide cohesiveness to the biblical story. The latter is the prevailing model of the evangelical church.
I refer to it as the Fragment Theory of Interpretation. They are content to view Genesis as a separate reality from Ezekiel, or they see Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as containing a separate agenda from John’s account in Revelation. They fail to see the role of Adam and the Garden in the layout of the temple in Ezekiel’s prophecy. And they don’t see the bride language of Ephesians as fundamental to understanding the renewal of the bride in Revelation.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Perspectivalist to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.