When I first became a Christian ("accepting Jesus as my Savior!") I read the Bible with a group of fundamentalists who interpreted the scripture in a "face-value" kind of way similar to what one hears on some posts and by TV evangelists and from many pulpits too.

I don't have as much time as I once did to hang out at the cafe. I confess I miss it.

Skimming through a number of threads, a sort of theme emerged and I wonder if it might be worth pulling into its own thread.

Most mainline clergy and lay preachers I know understand the Bible as "true but not historical". I think it was Gord who mentioned, in the context of midrasch, that we have to study Scripture in a way that allows us to find the context for our time, where the ancient story intersects with our lives.

I agree with IBelieve that "Jesus is Lord" is the heart of the Christian message.  But we have different understandings of what it means.

What does it mean to you?

Hi All,

Here's the scene.

Two folk from divergent faith traditions engage in the interpretation of the same specific scripture.

Both come up with similar interpretations of the text in question.

Here are the questions.

1) Can God and does God allow the meaning of God's word to be interetted faithfully and accurately by those who do not adhere to a specific faith practice?