We all have a hermeneutic. You see hermeneutics is all about interpretation. It’s the lens through which we view texts, culture, arguments including and most importantly, Scripture. I mentioned in my last article that ideologies are not just about the specific philosophical or religious beliefs they promote about offering a world view, a means by which you can view, interpretate and make sense of the world around you, including its history, culture, politics, literature etc. In other words, it offers a hermeneutic. Ideologies are not just beliefs to be studied, interpreted and understood themselves, they are themselves a mean to study, interpret and understand. That’s for example why we talk about Marxist interpretations of history.
I suggested in my previous article that people wanting to engage with Christian Nationalism therefore need to evaluate it as a hermeneutic as well as an ideology. This is true of any worldview, any philosophy or theology. We also should be able to check and evaluate our own hermeneutics. So, I thought it might be helpful to highlight a couple of things to consider as we do this. Note that this is not intended as an exhaustive list.
Does it improve the focus?
The concept of a lens we view things through is helpful when thinking about hermeneutics. I wear spectacles in order to be able to see properly. Every year I go to my optician and get my sight checked. In order to give me the best prescription he runs through a series of tests beyond just getting me to read out letters. He will try a variety of lens combinations, each time asking me to tell him if the new option is “better here or better here.” He wants to check my focus, not just can I make out the shapes but are they sharp and clear. This matters because otherwise you might be guessing between slightly similar letters and shapes. You may think that’s no big deal but actually small differences e.g. between a 50 mph and 60 mph sign can make all the difference.[1]
So, with hermeneutics, we want to know whether our presuppositions help to put things into focus. Do we gain a sharper perspective on the text we are reading, the play we are watching or the song we are listening to?
Does it account for everything?
One of the concerns I’ve hard with recent reports and analysis of the grooming gangs scandal is that they focus on information and data that fits a particular narrative. It is true that many gangs have been dominated by men with Muslim names. However, there are other incidents such as a Romanian background gang that don’t get put under scrutiny because they don’t fit the narrative. A good hermeneutic doesn’t pay attention only to the things that fit the narrative but also, indeed, even more so, to the things that don’t. In fact, it is those awkward facts and data samples that often tell us a lot.
Does it allow the subject under consideration to disagree with me?
If I never learn anything new, if I’m never challenged, then my hermeneutic probably isn’t doing its job. That’s one important reason as to why we need to make sure that it accounts for everything. Regular readers of Faithroots will be familiar with the statement “will you let God disagree with us.” The idea that the author can disagree, indeed, perhaps, should disagree is important when it comes to any hermeneutic or text but it is even more important when we come to Scripture.
Conclusion
Why not ask those questions when engaging with anyone who seeks to comment on life. Not only that but here are three questions to ask ourselves, This becomes even more important when thinking about God speaking to us through his word.
[1] One of the reasons why I don’t/can’t drive is that whilst the optician can get me to that borderline stage of reading car number plates, actually you don’t have time to stare intently at road signs long enough to confirm what they are saying.
Faithroots 