Wow. I've been blogging for more than a year. This is what I wrote last year about the Wesley brothers. It's still good.
Actually when you read the lay preacher's allegory of Christ fishing for oysters ---it's not that much different than what Origin and some of the early western church fathers did with scripture.
On my trip to and back from Omaha I listened to some lectures from the Teaching Company. I LOVE these lectures. Right now I'm on the History of Christian Theology taught by Phillip Cary - he's one of my favorite. He's got an excellent series on Augustine. One of the lectures was on Christian reading that explained the difference between Typology and Allegory in Christian interpretation, which was always a little confusing to me and this was very helpful.
So I know that Luther did away with allegory and brought back the literal meaning of scripture which was a good thing. To a point. But you know you have to give those guys credit for trying to make ancient stories about a desert God and a desert people relevant to Greeks and Romans. And it makes me feel kind of good to know that Augustine was a little perturbed by verses about dashing babies heads against rocks that he found a less literal way to make that helpful. Which just goes to show you that Augustine and other church fathers were NO fundamentalists!
oh and BTW, if you decide to buy some lectures from the Teaching Company - NEVER pay full price! At one time or the other during the year they all go on sale. If a series you like is not on sale, just wait - it will be after a while.
So I know that Luther did away with allegory and brought back the literal meaning of scripture which was a good thing. To a point. But you know you have to give those guys credit for trying to make ancient stories about a desert God and a desert people relevant to Greeks and Romans. And it makes me feel kind of good to know that Augustine was a little perturbed by verses about dashing babies heads against rocks that he found a less literal way to make that helpful. Which just goes to show you that Augustine and other church fathers were NO fundamentalists!
oh and BTW, if you decide to buy some lectures from the Teaching Company - NEVER pay full price! At one time or the other during the year they all go on sale. If a series you like is not on sale, just wait - it will be after a while.
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