Die Gevare van ’n Moralistiese Skrifgebruik
’n Teologies-filosofiese ondersoek
Abstract
Bible readers and preachers today often use the Word of God as a book of moral examples. Especially characters from the Bible are used as either heroes or warnings applied to contemporary Christians. This moralistic hermeneutic approach is questioned, both from a theological and a Christian philosophical point of view. The investigation is developed in the following five main steps. (1) The introductory section provides some examples, explains its popularity and defines moralism. (2) The second part contains a mainly theological critique of this kind of Bible interpretation. (3) Next, against the background of a Christian-philosophical multidimentional view of Scripture, the limited place of the moral aspect is indicated. (4) This is followed by a distinction between three concepts: the ethical (an aspect of reality); the moralimmoral distinction (e.g. what is normative in relationships between men and women or in friendship – (“sedelike” in Afrikaans); morality (in the sense of the values adhered to by a community). (5) The last part contains some final conclulsions about the moralistic use of the Scriptures.
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In Terms of the provisions in the Copyright Act, 98 of 1987, as amended, the copyright of author(s) in regard to articles submitted to and published in the Journal for Christian Scholarship is protected. The Vereniging vir Christelike Hoër Onderwys (VCHO) posesses the vested rights (copyright) in regard to published issues of the journal.
Die outeursreg (kopiereg) van outers ten opsigte van voorgelegde artikels aan en gepubliseerde artikels in die Tydskrif vir Christelike Wetenskap word beskerm, ingevolge die bepalings van die Wet op Outeursreg, 98 van 1987, soos gewysig. Die Vereniging vir Christelike Hoër Onderwys (VCHO) beskik oor die gevestigde regte (outeursreg) ten opsigte van gepubliseerde uitgawes van die tydskrif.
