{"id":32218,"date":"2015-11-06T06:07:35","date_gmt":"2015-11-06T11:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/exploringourmatrix\/?p=32218"},"modified":"2015-11-06T06:07:35","modified_gmt":"2015-11-06T11:07:35","slug":"the-bible-as-love-letter-from-kierkegaard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2015\/11\/the-bible-as-love-letter-from-kierkegaard.html","title":{"rendered":"The Bible as Love Letter from Kierkegaard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Kyle Roberts wrote a response<\/a> to my recent post about the Bible not being a love letter from God. Here is an excerpt:<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m currently co-authoring a commentary, so it may seem strange for me to come to the defense of Kierkegaard\u2019s analogy. Aren\u2019t I one of those who are\u00a0dodging God\u2019s Word\u00a0<\/em>precisely by writing academic commentary about it?<\/p>\n

But it seems to me the main gist of Kierkegaard\u2019s point is that the way we relate to the Bible will evidence what we think of the Bible\u2019s role in the context of our relation to God. The ultimate objective of our reading of the Bible shouldn\u2019t be academic knowledge (information for information\u2019s sake) or doctrinal understanding, but\u00a0action,\u00a0<\/em>transformation,\u00a0<\/em>response. The Bible is important because it derives from God and makes ultimate sense in the context of our relation to God\u2013not the other way around.<\/p>\n

For all its limitations (and I admit there are certainly limitations), the analogy might be a good \u201cfirst step\u201d away from a view of the Bible as merely a historical document or as merely as doctrinal or moral handbook into a view of the Bible as instrumental for experiencing the holy and witnessing to the gospel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Click through<\/a> to read more.<\/p>\n

Personally, I don\u2019t disagree that, for those in the Christian tradition, reading the Bible should not be\u00a0just<\/em> an intellectual exercise. But it shouldn\u2019t be\u00a0less<\/em> than that. If the Bible is to motivate us to reasonable, ethical, intelligent engagement with our spiritual tradition and with the world around us, then recognizing that it isn\u2019t a love letter (although it contains something close in the Song of Songs) is a key prior step.<\/p>\n

\"Kierkegaard<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kyle Roberts wrote a response to my recent post about the Bible not being a love letter from God. Here is an excerpt: I\u2019m currently co-authoring a commentary, so it may seem strange for me to come to the defense of Kierkegaard\u2019s analogy. Aren\u2019t I one of those who are\u00a0dodging God\u2019s Word\u00a0precisely by writing academic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":32219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,70],"tags":[1140,6741,6743,11601],"class_list":["post-32218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible","category-patheos","tag-bible","tag-love","tag-love-letter","tag-soren-kierkegaard"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Bible as Love Letter from Kierkegaard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kyle Roberts wrote a response to my recent post about the Bible not being a love letter from God. 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