hermeneutics

The Bible is not a book of moralities. The Bible is the ultimate myth. Now, before I am misquoted and extracted from context (although, to be honest, I am not famous enough to warrant quoting or misquoting), let me explain what I mean; let me define myth.

Most of us recognize that certain things in the Bible were written for certain times, certain cultures, and we don't practice them today. For example:

- do we practice the Sabbath from sun-down on Friday to sun-down on Saturday?

- do we sacrifice doves at the birth of a child?

- do we greet one another with a holy kiss (on the lips, no less!)?

- do we refrain from braiding our hair?

Ever wonder why the greeters at the doors of your church don't welcome you with a smack on the lips? (In 2 Corinthians 13, Paul exhorts the believers to greet one another with a holy kiss.) Or why we don't share everything in common as the brothers and sisters in Acts 2 did?

All of us practice contextual theology. Contextual theology recognizes that: