[Magdalen] A useful approach to the Bible

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

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On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 9:16 AM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu> wrote:

> I find it arrogant when someone assumes THEY are the one to decide (for
> everyone) what should be retained, what should be discarded or dismissed
> from scripture.


Wow. Me too.  Well, you had better take up your quarrel with the lectionary
elves, since they do it ALL the time. And not infrequently we think they
are mistaken in the cuts they have made.
I did not say scripture ought to be discarded. Get it right. I said, "Set
aside." There is a difference, you know? We all can give lots of examples
of scriptures we have set aside.  Any lectionary does this all the time.
When we omit texts deliberately, we are setting the text aside. When we do
not read a text ever in regular worship, we are setting it aside.

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On Sat, Aug 29, 2015 at 9:16 AM, Ann Markle <ann.markle at aya.yale.edu> wrote:

> ... Of course scripture was written by humans.  But what hand
> did God have in it?  What parts were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and what
> parts were not?  Who's to say that THIS is from God and THIS is not?


You are. I am.  All of us. Our common sense is God-given. Yes, I set aside
the horrid stuff, but who knows? Someday, some Jesus Seminar writer (or
even Tom Wright) just might find a new way of reading scripture which may
show how we can view this horrid material as divine.  And if and when that
happens, we can pick that stuff from the side and put it right back.

I think we all have a pretty good idea how Ps. 137 got written, and by
whom.  It is an incredibly moving document, a testament to the people who
were ripped from their ancestral place, but who survived.  I find it very
moving.  I do not think that it is divine writ.  If you disagree, I would
love to see your citation of evidence to that effect, because I honestly
don't think there is any. But I'm always willing to learn!

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy
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