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[Angel]

"The true Christian was intended by Christ to prove all things by the Word of God, all churches, all ministers, all teaching, all preaching, all doctrines, all sermons, all writings, all opinions, all practices. These are his marching orders. Prove all by the Word of God; measure all by the measure of the Bible; compare all with the standard of the Bible; weigh all in the balances of the Bible; examine all by the light of the Bible; test all in the crucible of the Bible. That which cannot abide the fire of the Bible, reject, refuse, repudiate, and cast away. This is the flag which he nailed to the mast. May it never be lowered!"

- John Wycliffe

[jimwalton]

And yet there are areas and disciplines where the Bible does not speak, and so we must also respect the authority of truth with regard to history, science, jurisprudence, etc. that lies outside of the purview of Biblical revelation. For instance, the Bible says nothing about the history of the Americas, which cannot then be proved "by the Word of God." So also many areas in science. Though the Bible tells us some things (God created the material world; what God created has order, function, purpose, regularity, etc.), most of what science has to say to us (such as the structure and function of the atom, volcanology, seismology, chemistry, etc.) again lies outside of the scope of Biblical revelation, which is telling us of the nature of God, his contract with humanity, and his plan of salvation. I agree with Wycliffe as far as it goes and with the intent of the context of his statements, but not as a universal decree.

[N-sub]

Jim, that calls for us to be open minded as we prove all things with the Word of God, knowing that there are some areas which you have mentioned outside the Bible, and I believe that's what brings in the misinterpretation of the Bible.

[jimwalton]

Yes, David, we do have to be open minded. It is safe for us to acknowledge that truth is still true no matter where it is found. It is illegitimate to claim that truth can be false just because it’s in the area of science or theology, history or philosophy, physics or metaphysics. The nature of truth doesn’t change because of the location of truth. If it’s true, it’s true. To be intellectually honest, we have to be good enough thinkers to be discerning rather than obstructing.

But that shouldn't bring misinterpretations of the Bible. First of all, our knowledge in some of these disciplines has nothing to do with the Bible (as I mentioned). Secondly, we must use extra-biblical information cautiously and with discernment as it contributes to our interpretation of Scripture. Assuredly the Bible is the first and last authority on what it is there to reveal, but there are times when cultural clues dug up by the archaeologists help us understand what was going on there, and therefore what was intended by the author, and therefore how we are to either translate or interpret the text.

As John Walton says, "As interpreters of Scripture and as theologians, we are accountable to the Biblical text. As important as our theological traditions are, since interpretations and even the hermeneutics by which we interpret have changed over the centuries, we cannot be unflinchingly accountable to every tradition at every level. New insights and new information can emerge at any time. Several hundred years ago, renewed access to the original languages had significant impact on biblical interpretation. in recent decades, the availability of documents from the ancient world has provided a remarkable resource for our reading of the biblical text. We dare not neglect these tools when they can contribute so significantly to our interpretation."