Poems, Prayers, and Promises from a Country Parson

Hermeneutics of Politics

From the chapter “Faith” in The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

Obama writes....“But let’s assume that we only had Christians within our borders. Whose Christianity would we teach in school? James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s? Which passages of Scripture would guide our public policy? Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests that slavery is all right and eating shellfish is an abomination? How about Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays form the faith? OR should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount-a passage so radical that it’s doubtful our Defense Department would survive its application?”

This dear friends is the question that the religious communities in our country need to consider. It doesn't mean that one group has the truth, or that truth is relevant. It does mean that we must determine how are we to approach and utilize the entire witness of Scripture into our life, faith, and culture. This is a question that I would love to hear answered. How do we understand what God has revealed to us in Scripture and apply it to our lives? This is the question of hermeneutics.

I wonder if Obama has read The Politics of Jesus?

posted by Hugh @ 1:53 PM