The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight

Author:Scot McKnight [McKnight, Scot]
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Religion, Christianity, Christian Life, Christian life & practice, Bible, Criticism, Biblical studies, Christianity: General, Spiritual Growth, Biblical Studies - General, Religion - Biblical Studies, criticism & exegesis, Christian Life - Spiritual Growth, Biblical concordances & commentaries, Bible Commentary, Exegesis & Hermeneutics, Narrative, Biblical Studies - Exegesis & Hermeneutics, Hermeneutics
ISBN: 9780310284888
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2009-11-30T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Finding the Pattern

of Discernment

Why Do We Not Follow

the Bible Sometimes?

Our all-too-glib but rather frequently heard Chris tian claim to practice whatever the Bible says annoys me. You might be annoyed that

I have just said this, but I’d like a fair hearing. I ask you to consider

the following clear teachings of the Bible that few, if any, Chris tians

practice. Perhaps you can ask yourself this question as you read through

these passages: Why do I not do what this passage in the Bible teaches?

As you look at these examples, you will discover what I am calling

a pattern of discernment. The pattern of discernment is simply this: as

we read the Bible and locate each item in its place in the Story, as we

listen to God speak to us in our world through God’s ancient Word,

we discern — through God’s Spirit and in the context of our community of

faith — a pattern of how to live in our world. The church of every age

is summoned by God to the Bible to listen so we can discern a pattern

for living the gospel that is appropriate for our age. Discernment is part

of the process we are called to live.

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Discerning

DISCERNMENT:

General Thoughts

In general, I am thinking of what a local church or a local denomination

does in order to discern how best to live out the gospel in its day and in its

way. While personal discernment for my own life is important, that is

not what I have in mind here. Instead, I am concerned with how a local

church, often in deep conversation with a denomination, discerns how

to live. In fact, often the discernment process occurs at the denominational level in order to guide each local church.

We do not need to get into all the ways various Chris tian churches

make decisions. Rather, our concern in this book is about discernment

at the local church level. Briefly put, Part 4 will probe how churches

(locally or denominationally) make decisions about women in church

ministries. A tension occurs when a young woman believes she is called

to preach or teach publicly when a local church or denomination has

“discerned” that to be unacceptable. The young woman’s discernment

is important to me, and I will deal with this, but our main concern is

not so much with her discernment as with the church’s discernment.

A second general issue concerns diversity. Every culture will discern

its own patterns for living out the Bible. Turkish Chris tians will not

discern the same pattern that Southern Californian Chris tians will discern. Russian Baptists will live out the gospel in ways that differ from

Brasilian charismatics. Anglicans in India will discern in ways that differ from Anglicans in Wheaton. This is perhaps obvious to many, but

we must remind ourselves of the vibrant diversity of the church when

it comes to local level discernments. Seeking unanimity on all things is

unwise; permitting discernment at the local level can sometimes create

too much diversity, but it is wiser to have local discernment with some

problems than having everyone under lock and key.

Furthermore, and I think this needs to be given special attention,

the discernment can be very messy.

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