Totality Transfer

Here is an interesting little commentary by Leithart that I think exposes the Achilles heel of some of the expository preaching I grew up with.

It's something that seems like a small hermeneutical detail but when you combine it with the quest for a systematic biblical theology that then feeds back into your exposition it can have dangerous consequences.

Word of the Day: Watch out for Totality Transfer!

3 comments:

Mainely Me said...

Excellent point. I can see that happening. Do you have any examples from your personal experience? And how about some commentary on Matt. 16:18?

JPB said...

I can't think of any examples right off the top of my head, but the pattern was most pronounced in the "word study" thing -- using a concordance for example. Look up all the places 'the Bible' uses a word like 'Holy' and then make assumptions about "what holy means in the Bible" by gathering all those meanings into one and assuming that one gathered meaning is meant or could be meant every time 'holy' is used.

JPB said...

Matthew 16:18 is just a good example of something I would have to study more closely without assuming I knew what church ("ecclesia") means in that context. I have no idea what Peter Leithart had in mind.