The Bible Is Not A Toy

Last updated on: October 27, 2017 at 4:52 am by Scot McKnight

The Bible Is Not A Toy 2017-10-26T07:56:07-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Bible is not a Toy, by John Frye

Eugene Peterson presents “The Last Word on Scripture” in Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination not by arguing about inspiration and inerrancy or by pressing into epistemology and hermeneutics or by forcing the Word of God into some interpretive grid (e.g., YEC). Peterson is concerned about the intent of Scripture; its purpose in the lives of God’s people. “Words link spirits. Reduced to writing and left there, words no longer do what they are designed to do—create and maintain relationships of intelligence and love. … For language in its origin and at its best is the means by which one person draws another person into a participating relationship. … The intent of revelation is not to inform us about God but to involve us with God” (12-13). Peterson is serious about not divorcing the words of Scripture from the voice of God. A. W. Tozer wrote about this same reality—“The Speaking Voice”— in his book The Pursuit of God. Jesus’s harshest critics, who studied the holy words diligently, had fallen into that deadly error. “Printer’s ink became embalming fluid” (13).

The words of Scripture are to be received with imaginative faith so that the livingness of the Word happens in our lives by the work of the Spirit. Eugene points out that teachers help us understand the Word. Apologists serve so that the Word is not discredited. Masters of imagination (one of whom is the Apostle John on Patmos) “keep us awake and aware before the living God who speaks to us in these scriptures and …remind us that we are living beings who are being spoken to” (15). Peterson unpacks how our five senses—sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste—are addressed in the Book of Revelation. Did you know that numbering is an extension of touch (15-16)? To number is a tactile function. Who knew?

What about inspiration? “The way inspiration takes place—the process by which various human languages written in sometimes faulty grammar are used by God the Spirit to speak God’s word personally to us—is a mystery that defeats complete understanding. What is indisputable, though, is that persons of faith believe it to happen and claim to experience its effects” (18-19). Peterson suggests all Scripture is apokalupsis (revelation) which means to uncover. Imagine a pot of stew cooking on the stove Peterson suggests. You walk into the house and smell the aroma. Your curiosity is aroused. Senses are heightened. You make your way to the kitchen breathing in tantalizing smells. You take off the lid; you uncover the pot. All the ingredients are “exposed to the eye: Apocalypse!” (19). “Scripture is read and heard—and touched and smelled and tasted—in order to be practiced. It is not for entertainment. It is not for diversion. It is not for culture. It is not a key for unlocking secrets in the future. It is not a riddle to intrigue the pious dilettante” (17, emphasis mine).

The Book of Revelation does contain some predictive prophecy. “There are predictive elements in some prophecy (and some in the Revelation), but they are always in the service to a present message. The Bible warns against a neurotic interest in the future and escapist fantasy into the future. … In the Revelation we are immersed not in prediction, but eschatology: an awareness that the future is breaking in upon us” (21). Scripture is God’s word and it is God’s Word for us now. “The Revelation has 404 verses. In those 404 verses, there are 518 references to earlier scripture. … The statistics post a warning: no one has any business reading the last book who has not read the previous sixty-five. … Much mischief has been done by reading the Revelation in isolation from its canonical context. … Scripture is not to be toyed with. It is not to be twisted and squeezed into our needs and wishes. We are to submit to scripture and let it develop our lives” (23, 25). I believe that Eugene Peterson’s Reversed Thunder needs to be on every pastor’s bookshelf and that “The Last Word on Scripture” needs to be read often

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 26, 2017

RCOs? (RJS)

Next Post

October 28, 2017 Weekly Meanderings, 28 October 2017

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

The queen of Ethiopia in the time of the early church was …

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bernice Candace Esther Hatshepsut