THE SCRIPTURAL ‘STICKY WICKET’

Why biblical interpretation is literally a challenge

I wish it were easy.

I wish we could all just open our Bibles to the table of contents, find the subject we are interested in, read it once, then move on to live accordingly.

Some people seem to think it’s that easy. The Bible is God’s Word. Its sense is plain. If you understand it rightly, you will always understand it the way I do.

It’s not that easy.

On countless matters, Christians (not to mention Jews and Mormons who also hold ture: history, poetry, law, narrative, prophecy and proverbial wisdom, to name a few. Just as you can’t read a recipe like you would read a novel, so you can only understand the Bible according to the form of literature you are reading. So to say that you “take the Bible literally” can only mean that you read the symbolic parts symbolically; otherwise you are not reading them literally, you are just reading them wrongly.

Baptist

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary), Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sunday: LifeQuest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Student Ministry: Wednesday & Sunday 7:00 pm / 214.348.9697

Disciples Of Christ

all or part of the Christian Bible sacred) disagree on what the Bible means, and thus what we are supposed to believe and how we are supposed to behave. To one degree or another, according to one theory or another, all of us consider the Bible to be Spirit-inspired writing and authoritative for faith and life.

How so? That’s the sticky wicket.

Quick review: Human beings wrote the Bible across a span of about 1,500 years. They either lived the events they described and reflected upon them, or they were close to those who did live those events, or they wrote down once and for all the stories that had been kept alive orally before then. The book didn’t drop out of heaven like a special delivery from an Amazon drone — from God’s lips to human ears to scribal pen.

The Bible is more like a library than a book. It contains different types of litera-

In his helpful book “Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today,” United Methodist minister Adam Hamilton suggests that there are three broad categories that passages fit into. First, those that reflect the timeless will of God for human beings; for instance, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Second, those that reflect God’s will in a particular time but not for all time; this may include ritual law of the Old Testament. And third, those that reflect the culture and historical circumstances in which they were written but never reflected God’s timeless will; and here slavery comes to mind. Figuring out what belongs in which category is often difficult and debatable.

Reading the Bible alongside others, keeping your heart and mind open, and seeking to understand it with the aid of God’s Spirit will take us most of the way toward agreement on most matters. We will always wrestle with some things, even as we do today — about the death penalty, the role of women, or gay marriage. If it were easy, it wouldn’t take faith and it would hardly be worth it. Things that are worth it — like love, say — are worth it precisely because they take effort.

When Jesus was asked to summarize the Bible (the Law and the Prophets), he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

We should start and end there.

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

Presbyterian

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship: May 25 - Aug. 31 / 10:00am / Childcare provided.

Unity

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living 6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

10:30 am Sunday - Celebration Worship Service advocatemag.com/newmedia

Build analytical skills, self-esteem and character... Just don’t tell the kids, they just think...

CHESS IS FUN!

Ages 7 to 14 on the UT Dallas campus. For Beginners, Intermediate or Advanced

Morning (9 am-noon) or afternoon (1-4 pm) sessions. June 8-12, June 15-19, July 13-17, July 20-24, 2015 and extended playing classes.

972-883-4899 utdallas.edu/chess james.stallings@utdallas.edu your child’s academic journey close to home.

Ratio Accredited Programs Care Grades Lessons offered weekly Computer Curriculum

PreK

- 6th Grades whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a wellrounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

Highlander School

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

Spanish House

grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

Ut Dallas Chess Camp

800 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson 75080 / (972) 883-4899 / utdallas.edu/chess ) 2014

Summer Chess Camp Campers learn while they PLAY. Chess develops reading, math, critical and analytical skills, and builds character and self-esteem. Just don’t tell the kids…they think chess is fun! Join beginner, intermediate or advanced chess classes for ages 7 to 14 on the UT Dallas campus. Morning (9am-noon) or afternoon (1-4pm) sessions are available June 8-12, June 15-19, July 13-17, July 20-24 and extended playing classes. Camp includes t-shirt, chess board and pieces, trophy, certificate, score book, group photo, snacks and drinks. Instructors are from among UT Dallas Chess Team PanAm Intercollegiate Champions for 2010-2012!

The Winston School

PreK - 6th Grades

We educate the Whole child Low Teacher Student Ratio

SACS/CASI Accredited

4411 Skillman 214-826-4410 / 5740 Prospect 214-826-6350 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

We Educate the Whole Child Low Teacher Student Ratio

Ave. Dallas TX 75208 • 214-942-2220 www.thekesslerschool.com

After School Enrichment Programs Before & After School Care

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

SACS/CASI Accredited

Spanish Immersion School serving ages 3 month - Adults. We offer nursery, preschool, elementary and adult programs at two Lakewood locations. Degreed, nativeSpanish speaking teachers in an “all-Spanish” immersion environment. Call for a tour today!

5707 Royal Lane Dallas, Tx 75229 / 214691-6950 / www.winston-school.org If your bright child struggles with things like Attention and Concentration, Executive Functioning and Dyslexia, The Winston School may be able to help. The Winston School has a robust academic program which prepares a student for college while at the same time developing the whole child. We understand bright children who learn differently and recognize their unique gifts and talents. Celebrating and validating these assets with our students enables them to discover who they are, and empowers them to be consistently successful. The Winston School brings hope for today and a road map for tomorrow. School Preview: February 26th, 9-11am

White Rock North School

After School Enrichment Programs

Before & After School Care

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas TX 75208 214-942-2220

TheKesslerSchool.com

Art, Music, Library Time, Daily Spanish, Reading Lab

CLAIRE’S CHRISTIAN DAY SCHOOL

The Kessler PumPKin PaTch anD arT Fair saT OcT 5

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

1215 Turner Ave. Dallas, TX 75208 214-942-2220

TheKesslerschool.com

8202 Boedeker Dr., / (214) 368-4047 / clairesdayschool.com At CCDS, we encourage a child’s sense of exploration and discovery in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment. We offer a parent’s day out program with a play-based curriculum fostering socialization, motor skill development, and an introduction to academics for children aged 4mo – 3yrs. Our preschool for children aged 3-5 further develops these skills, along with a more focused approach to pre-math and prereading. At CCDS, we have developed our own science, math, and reading enrichment classes to ensure kindergarten preparedness for every child. We make learning fun!

The Kessler School

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the

St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

Zion Lutheran School

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government.

Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.