Four Concepts for Reference

Here are four interesting concepts to keep in mind as we study Scripture:

1. FACT and TRUTH. The idea is that fact does not necessarily convey meaning. Since the enlightenment "modern" folks tend to equate fact with truth . . . that is, something cannot be true unless it is factual. Yet there is also a way of knowing "truth", or meaning, through story, such as Jesus' parables, which are not factual accounts. The equation of fact and truth is a fairly recent idea in Western culture. A lot of folks are recognizing that this idea, much taken for granted, can present us with some problems in taking the Bible stories for themselves.

2. SCIENTIFIC and MYTHIC is another comparison getting at this idea. Before the Enlightenment, just a couple hundred years ago, folks "knew" truth through what is referred to as "mythos". The word "myth" is somewhat contaminated by modern, logical thinking, so that we might think a "myth", since it isn't factual, cannot be "true". Myths, in the wider timeline of our history, provide stories and frameworks for understanding the meaning of life. A "mythos" is a framework for interpreting reality, often with a central story. What, for example, is the central story for the Jewish people? I would think it is the Exodus story. What is the central story for Christians? Orthodox Christianity would probably hold up the story of Jesus Christ as that which gives meaning to everything -- the eternal Creator incarnate in human flesh, and his sacrifice and resurrection. Of course most modern Christians would also find it essential to hold that our particular mythology is also factual, or it has no meaning. Post-modern seekers would question that requirement, or perhaps not worry about it so much as we have become accustomed to doing. Now we know that science deals with fact. Can science prove God's existence and intent? I think many modern Christians believe it is only a matter of time before we can empirically demonstrate the factual reality of our beliefs. Perhaps so, but I think we still need "mythos" as a way of knowing and giving meaning, especially in light of the amazing revelations given to us through scientific study.

3. COSMOLOGY and CULTURE are concepts vital to understanding Bible stories in their contexts.
Cosmology refers to a person's understanding of the "cosmos" -- that is, how the universe is organized. Cosmos infers order of some kind. For example, the creation stories depict God making a cosmos out of chaos. The physical description of the cosmos in the creation stories reflects a common ancient perspective, which, thanks to telescopes and space probes, we know is completely innaccurate. Yet that description, not factual, depicts profound meaning: that God is creator, we are created, and we have a responsibility to tend the "cosmos" God has given to us a stewards.

Culture can be described as the ocean of meaning we swim in . . . it helps to understand there are other oceans. Like my boy's pet fish in it's tank, I have spent my life floating in a world with a particular language and references that orient me in life. When I take the fish out to clean his bowl, he is, for a while, disoriented. If I put him in a different bowl, he will need to adjust. There are many human cultures; also many represented in the Scriptures. If I would read Scripture well, I need to develop the capacity to at least be aware that I'm looking through the glass of my own culture into another world.

4. HOW and WHY are different questions. Putting all of the above together can imply that the creation stories, for instance, cannot be accurate scientific accounts of the creation of the physical universe -- how it came to be. But if they are stories told to convey an understanding of the meaning of the cosmos, then we have a lot of gold to mine if we seek to answer the "why" questions -- such as why is there a world, why are we in it, why do we sin, etc.

PDTA