Why Do We Have So Many Different Interpretations of the Same Passages in the Bible?

These questions from Banned Questions about the Bible are mentioned in the discussion:

• Why are there so many completely different interpretations of the same scripture passage? [p. 178-181]
• How can we begin to take the Bible literally when it seems to contradict itself so often? [p. 97-100]

Have you ever heard two people get into a debate over what a certain passage in the Bible means? They can be very passionate about what they believe that passage means and, sometimes, just as passionate in how they believe the other person is wrong. Add more people and some will take sides while others will argue for still another perspective. While you hope that a few aha moments (or, as some call it, the work of the Spirit) will lead to a consensus, more often than not, sharp divisions occur. We end up with dueling camps (or denominations, if you will), each convinced they’re right. People left on the outside either scratch their heads wondering what the big deal is or walk away altogether.

Here’s the secret: You can’t read the Bible without interpreting it. Even if you claim to take the Bible literally, you still have to interpret it. And it’s hard to interpret anything without bringing your particular world view into the mix. It’s not a new issue. For instance, the Bible has more than 600 laws for God’s people to follow. Some are very specific. Most require interpretation. How do you keep the Sabbath holy? What is an idol? Is it only a graven image or is it anything you pursue ahead of God? And how exactly do you put God first? In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus took on some of those interpretations, turning many world views upside down in the process. And he replaced the competing interpretations with two guiding lights: love God and love others. Everything comes from those commands.

Yet, we still argue. Kathy Escobar writes “interpretation of the Bible is varied” and “we need to be more honest about ‘literal interpretation’” of the Bible. In actuality, many churches that adhere to literal interpretation “are good at ‘selective literal interpretation,’ choosing to align with some passages and completely dismiss others.” [p. 99]

A good debate over the meaning of passages in the Bible can help us grow in our faith and become better followers of Jesus. As Craig Detweiler says in Banned Questions…, “engagement is preferable to indifference” [p. 179]. I love it when kids in our youth group question something we’ve said. It often leads to stronger insights for both them and me. The lack of questions doesn’t necessarily mean agreement. They may have disconnected with the topic (you can see it in their glassy eyes). It’s not that they agree but they’re not engaged enough to care. 

The problem, Detweiler notes, is “when the ethics of scripture are lost amid the argument about their meaning, we have all lost perspective. And, suddenly, we need a fresh interpreter to remind us who we are and whose we are” [p. 179]. Jim L. Robinson offered some suggestions for “reconciling the differences and moving from opinion to truth:” [p. 178]

• Put God first in the discussion [“Seek first the kingdom…”]
• Let the Bible speak for itself rather than use it merely to support what you want it to support.
• Build your faith on discipline and knowledge.
• Approach the issue in a sense of community, learning “to trust the collective wisdom of a community of disciplined brothers and sisters.”

Nadia Bolz-Weber says we should expect to see so many different interpretations because different communities are interpreting the Bible in different times and cultural contexts. She writes:

“The Bible is a living word that breathes meaning into every community that does the work of digging into it. To calcify the biblical text into one single meaning for all time and place is to suck the life out of it.” [p. 180]

Because the Bible is a LIVING word, Bolz-Weber writes, “the biblical text speaks truth into the community and context into which it is being interpreted” [p. 180]. There’s a part of me that says “Amen!” to that and a part of me that thinks about how the Bible, in the past, has been used to justify slavery and, now, is being used by some to justify a limited role for women in churches and hate towards gays. While I side with the idea that the Bible is a living word (“inspired by God” applies to the reader as well as the author), I also believe we need to be seeking that word in a faith community, open to the movement of God’s Spirit within that community. I’m not sure the tendency of some faith communities to huddle together in like-minded enclaves that block out dissenting opinions is doing that. We need to be open not only to a more diverse dialogue, but to the likelihood that none of us has the full picture. 

What do you think of Nadia Bolz-Weber’s comments? Can the Bible be a living word that offers different meanings in different contexts and still convey a universal truth? How do you deal with different interpretations of a passage? How do you know what to believe? I look forward to the discussion in the comments below!

In the coming weeks, we’ll see how this plays out with specific passages and topics in the Bible that have markedly different interpretations. We’ll start with the creation account in Genesis 1. If you have any passages you’d like to see us discuss, let me know in the comments. 

Before wrapping up, here are some things I noticed about those reading this blog: First, far fewer folks check out the blog on the weekends. Mondays and Tuesdays are usually the highest traffic days, even when I add a mid-week post. Second, this past week, with the Thanksgiving holiday, was the slowest viewing week yet, with even fewer hits than the week of hurricane Sandy (which took out the usual Monday-Tuesday volume). So, if you didn’t get a chance to check out last week’s post – If the Bible Has Mistakes and Contradictions, How Do I Know What to Believe? – I hope you’ll also take a look at it sometime this week.