Hermeneutics and the Holy

Hermeneutics has in many ways become a catchword in theological circles. Add a bit of the modern/postmodern conflict, and you have a full fledged argument. In a recent discussion with a friend the issue of hermeneutics came up as it relates to the issue of women in ministry. She was trying to reconcile her community oriented belief with a literal interpretation of Paul. Unfortunately the two were at odds, and her attempt was less than successful.

While this particular issue has been the subject of many books, articles, and tears, it is not the focus of the discussion. The focus is what has authority. Does Scripture have authority or does the belief of a particular community have authority? Are they mutually exclusive? What also about the role of tradition? It is unlikely that one can argue for a purely biblical authority because Scripture has to be interpreted and applied, and communities are the ones who interpret and apply Scripture. Is this simply relativism? No, because there are standards and established methods for interpretation, there is a text, there is history, and there are orthodox bounds. So, the specifics of Christianity may look somewhat different in various times and places, but it is the same good news and the same Spirit at work.

What is the method we use for interpretation? Do we consider the propositional statement of scripture to the exclusion of narrative or other genres? Well, this question requires more than a single comment, so I will take it up again at another time.