On Developing A Consistent Hermeneutical Approach To The Application Of General Scriptures -- By: Cynthia Long Westfall

Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 24:3 (Summer 2010)
Article: On Developing A Consistent Hermeneutical Approach To The Application Of General Scriptures
Author: Cynthia Long Westfall


On Developing A Consistent Hermeneutical Approach To The Application Of General Scriptures

Cynthia Long Westfall

Cynthia Long Westfall, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the author of Discourse Analysis of the Letter to the Hebrews: The Relationship Between Form and Meaning (T. & T. Clark, 2006), and has been part of an urban mission to the inner city in Denver for I more than twenty years. For the last five years, she has also been involved in urban ministry in the Greater Toronto area.

Introduction

The passage on spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians reflects the Holy Spirits primary role in the distribution of the gifts. However, the evangelical church has had a dominant hermeneutical approach where a certain interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:12 takes priority over the distribution of gifts by the Holy Spirit. This interpretation is treated as an a priori assumption in this and other literary contexts.

The broad spectrum of opinion concerning what exactly is prohibited in what context contributes to the confusion, both for women navigating their calling and for the churches, organizations, and individuals who are attempting to apply the prohibition. Furthermore, women find that they hit unanticipated glass walls because they are dealing with embedded theologies that are far more restrictive and confusing than what is actually articulated or permitted. I want to display how, in practice, a veil is placed over Romans 12:1-8 when an evangelical woman reads it.1 My contention is that anyone studying Scripture, whether woman or man, needs to apply sound hermeneutical principles consistently when studying Romans 12:1-8. Inconsistencies in the hermeneutical approach applied in regard to women result in theological inconsistency and patterns of injustice.

Background And Context Of Romans 12:1-8

Paul laid out a template for the believers function in the church through three letters: 1 Corinthians, written about a.d. 55; Romans, written about a.d. 57; and Ephesians, written about a.d. 60. The Epistle to the Romans provides a particularly interesting test case for Paul’s theology of ministry regarding spiritual gifts. It is the least occasional of his epistles—he was not addressing a large number of specific problems as he did in the Corinthian epistles or the Pastorals.2 Romans is also the most systematic with the most explanation and clarity—he had never visited Rome, and he did not assu...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()