A Modern era biblical hermeneutic is still alive and well in local bible studies, local churches, college ministries, Christian radio stations and daily conversations. It is a hermeneutic which causes us to 1) Read the Bible, 2) Get Information, and 3) Tell Others. There may be very few people who actually have the skill sets to be able to do this effectively. It is a hermeneutic which causes us to view the Bible as something to 1) Take to, 2) Give answers to, and 3) Critique pop culture.
Many times these answers and critiques come in the form of defining what is right and wrong. Should I read Harry Potter or shouldn't I read Harry Potter? I had a friend, for example, who upon having their first child got rid of all their movies that had a rating higher than PG. For the Modern era, 'raising children in the way that they should go' meant defining for them what was right and what was wrong by looking to Scripture for these cultural answers.
I always found it ironic when a pastor would use a movie reference in her sermon and then recommend that no one go see the movie--alluding to the thought that we, the congregation, couldn't handle the movie spiritually. The Modern era attempts to enforce a universal (valid for every human being) right and wrong upon our relationship with culture and upon pop culture's relationship with us. This hermeneutic is didactic. It attempts to teach pop culture rather than learn from it or dialogue with it.
"Reversing the Hermeneutical Flow"--as I heard it phrased recently in a b2g gathering--involves a method that is uncomfortable for those of us who have been trained by Modern era thinkers. It is a hermeneutic that causes us to 1) Read/talk about the Bible, 2) Reflect, 3) Live, and 4) Reflect with Others. What is maybe most difficult for Modern era-trained Christians is that, 2) Reflect, is not a reflection upon information gained from reading or talking about Scripture. It is rather a reflection upon the unresolved nature of the stories found there. Similarly, 3) Live and 4) Reflect with Others, is simply an attempt to relate one unresolved story (Scripture) to another (our lives) in hopes of finding a meaningful integration.
It is interesting that non believers--untrained by Modern era biblical hermeneutics--may be more adept at this 'new' hermeneutic than many believers are who have to untrain themselves. In fact, it may only be in dialogue with a 'mixed' bible reading group that some believers can catch on. If this is the case then it may be non believers that can best train Christians in new ways of approaching Scripture. As is the case with this reversed hermeneutic, every time we read Scripture it is a fresh experience. It is not a reading that has in mind a certain right set of conclusions beforehand. Therefore, it can form a reading group that does not necessarily need to be lead by one with superior biblical knowledge.
This hermeneutical approach to Scripture is a hermeneutic which causes us to view the Bible as something to 1) Create Tension and 2) Create Questions in dialogue with pop culture. It is not didactic. It is not attempting to teach or give answers to pop culture any more than it is attempting to be taught and learn new insights from its Advertisements, Music, Film, Sports, Art and TV. This hermeneutical approach is always holding (for purpose of illustration) in one hand the narratives of Scripture and in the other hand the many intermingling narratives of our culture--It is attempting to make meaningful connections.
In the reversed hermeneutic there is not a sharp separation between non believer and believer. All are teachers and all are learners. The differences emerge between us all--Christian and non Christian alike--when we take notice of which narratives are shaping our meaningful connections.
There is much more to unpack here about Reversing our Hermeneutics. Hopefully what I have written here is enough to prompt questions and initiate thoughts. I have a variety of sources for some of the above insights. They have all intermingled to produce today's musing. They directly and indirectly include the b2g movement, Niebuhr, Shults, Pannenberg, McFadyen, and Hauerwas. If you are interested in what came from whom then let me know.
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