You're not alone. I set myself this same challenge in May as a result of the United Methodist Vote.
I came at it from a slightly different angle--I hold belief in the inerrancy of the Word and the divine will that included the stuff of real life in the Testimony of God without which it would be wooden. But I'm with you in saying that part of the Testimony of God is the Spirit and Image of God in human bodies. There's an essay floating around there somewhere about that but, if you're interested, here is my ally post.
Thanks for reading and engaging. I hasten to add that, though I don’t really use the framework of “inerrancy,” I would affirm Scripture’s authority (in case it wasn’t clear in what I wrote). My contention is that no matter how much authority we accord Scripture, there’s no dispensing with the need for our own agency and discernment when we engage such questions.
I absolutely agree--it is entirely possible to ask really poor questions of the Word over and over again and arrive at equally poor conclusions. It's why I value the work of deconstruction so much; it gets us to ask fresh questions and find ourselves understanding more than we did when we only sought answers.
Thank you Gene! Your allyship means a lot to me personally.
And thank you, Karen, for being an instrumental part of my own journey.
You're not alone. I set myself this same challenge in May as a result of the United Methodist Vote.
I came at it from a slightly different angle--I hold belief in the inerrancy of the Word and the divine will that included the stuff of real life in the Testimony of God without which it would be wooden. But I'm with you in saying that part of the Testimony of God is the Spirit and Image of God in human bodies. There's an essay floating around there somewhere about that but, if you're interested, here is my ally post.
https://dlbacon.substack.com/p/enough-with-not-enough
Thanks for reading and engaging. I hasten to add that, though I don’t really use the framework of “inerrancy,” I would affirm Scripture’s authority (in case it wasn’t clear in what I wrote). My contention is that no matter how much authority we accord Scripture, there’s no dispensing with the need for our own agency and discernment when we engage such questions.
I absolutely agree--it is entirely possible to ask really poor questions of the Word over and over again and arrive at equally poor conclusions. It's why I value the work of deconstruction so much; it gets us to ask fresh questions and find ourselves understanding more than we did when we only sought answers.