Love needs be at the heart of interpreting the Bible

Unquestionably holding to ‘what the Bible says’ isn’t a guaranteed path to good theology

Derek Flood, focussing on homosexuality and the authority of scripture, writes a compelling article making the case that unquestionably holding to ‘what the Bible says’ isn’t a guaranteed path to good theology, and that love can’t be removed from the process by which we interpret the Bible:

If we recognise that our particular interpretation and application of Scripture is leading to observable harm, this necessarily means that we need to stop and reassess our course. Scripture, as Jesus read it, needs to lead us to love God, others, and ourselves. If we find that it is leading instead to causing harm then we are getting it wrong.

Though long, Flood’s article is well worth a read for those interested in questions about how we interpret the Bible today and/or wrestling what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.

Originally published at www.samradford.com.