Who Decides?

Recently, I was talking with a friend about Biblical inerrancy, inspiration and authority. We talked about literary genres and cultural contexts and how understanding those dynamics within and around the text makes a difference in how we then interpret and apply a text.

My friend then asked me the critical quesiton, "Who Decides?" For instance, is it possible to claim that the Genesis narrative is in line with local creation narratives from the middle east and doesn't necessary indicate a literal 7 24 hour day creation story and then claim that Jesus' story was entirely real? Is it possible to understand some texts as metaphorical and others as literal? If so, who decides?

That's pretty much a million dollar question within the Evangelical community. I've just started reading a book called Slaves, Women and Homosexuals: Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis which attempts to answer at least part of this question. The author, William Web, begins by listing various scriptures (2 pages worth) and then asking the readers to mark each one as either cultural or transcultural (for all time). He then asks the question, "Why do some biblical instructions have ongoing significance and force in their entirety, while the continued application of others is limited in some manner? How do I determine which components of the biblical text should apply today and which should not?

Webb later makes the comment, "It is necessary for Christians to challenge their culture where it departs from kingdom values; it is equally necessary for them to identify with their culture on all other matters." The book, from my understanding, then goes on to examine the "issues" of slaves, women and homosexuals in light of this statement. He argues for what he calls the redemptive-movement hermeneutic, an approach that looks at commandments and pracitical living out of the old and new covenants, considers them in their cultural context and attempts to understand a possible trajectory that God is working out throughout history. It seems like an interesting and innovative approach, one that will at least begin to answer the question, "Who decides?" and does so with the underlying assumption that the Bible is God's revelation of himself to us.

This whole idea of Biblical inspiration is fascinating. What an incredible thought Paul has in 1 Timothy 3:16, All scripture is God-breathed.... Simply amazing.