A few words need to be said about the nature of Scripture. This is not an article on exegesis. Nevertheless, because the issue of women in ministry is one that we need to solve by looking at the Bible, we need to be clear about how we are going to read Scripture. Two points may be made.
_Firstly, Scripture is true. It may be written in a variety of literary types, it may involve figures of speech and metaphorical expressions, it may have been written by culturally conditioned authors from a particular cultural background, but the overriding principle is that Scripture is God's word, and he arranged for it to say exactly what he wanted it to say. We must not make the mistake of turning interpretation of Scripture into re-writing of Scripture. Recognizing the cultural setting of part of the Bible may be important, but it must not lead us to disobey its commands.
_Secondly, having made that point, Scripture is also complicated. For it does contain a variety of literary types, it does involve figures of speech, it was written in particular cultures. Moreover, knowledge of the historical and cultural background and literary norms can be very helpful in illuminating the biblical text and understanding the particular problems the author may have been addressing. God did not give us a list of propositions or an instruction manual. We need to recognize the different ways of reading, says, narrative, as compared to commands. We also need to be sympathetic to the background and recognize that the issues the Bible addresses may not be our own. Nevertheless, we should not make too big a task of understanding the Bible. After all, it is not written in code; it is for our instruction, and has been made accessible to us.
_In understanding what a particular passage means, and how it applies to us, there are a few principles which may be helpful.
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