Why Normative Interpretation? Because it is Consistent

Hermeneutics is the study of methods of interpretation, especially of Biblical texts. Exegesis is the process of explaining these interpretations.

There is, of course, more than one method of interpreting Biblical texts. The hermeneutic of choice for this blog is called Normative, Natural, and sometimes the historical-grammatical interpretive principle. Some refer to it as literal.

The term "literal" implies, incorrectly, that figures of speech and symbols are not considered relevant to scriptural interpretation. Therefore the term is avoided because of the baggage that accompanies it. As will be seen in the "Golden Rule of Interpretation" there are indeed symbols used in the Bible, these however are usually explained in the context of the text they appear in.

One other hermeneutic which will be mentioned here is the allegorical hermeneutic. This interpretive approach expounds the belief that the use of symbols and allegory (fables) is used extensively throughout the Old and New Testaments. There are many reasons this is believed to be so by its adherents, far too many to be addressed here. The problem with this approach is that those who make use of it cannot agree amongst themselves what is allegorical and what should be read literally. Furthermore where there is agreement concerning what is allegory and what is not, the interpretation of those allegorical passages cannot be agreed upon.

The allegorical approach is rejected here, and the normative, or natural interpretation of Scripture is affirmed. Scripture must stand upon its own merits. ( 2Ti 3:16 ) If it does not then man becomes the final arbiter of truth, and each may do what is right in his own eyes.

This declaration is made now so no one is deceived into thinking there is another approach being taken. The reader will find affirmations of:

• The Jewish roots of the Christian faith
• Israel's, that is the Jewish peoples, rightful place as the chosen people of God
• Orthodoxy (right teaching/opinion)
• The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
• The basics of the Christian faith

The reader will also find specific explanations and rejection of:

• Anti-Semitism, in all its guises
• Replacement Theology - The Church is not Israel
• Heresies
• Apostasy - departures from the faith professed
• Various hermenuetical approaches

The goal is to provide historical background and reasoned arguments for those who seek to understand the foundational teachings of their faith in more detail. May the Traditional, Evangelical, Charismatic, and Pentecostal all find something here.

"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." - Herbert Spencer