In praise of Scott B.

You know what I love about Scott Berkhimer's blog? All substance, baby... Good, thoughtful commentary and theological thinking.

The only thing that bugs me about Scott, in fact, is that he consistently leaves better comments on my blog than the entries they are left on... :)

Like this, for instance, left on the Complementarity Without Heirarchy post below:

"ryan - don't you think we make that same hermeneutical leap all the time? I mean, Paul was big on circumcision. For the Galatians, he argued that to accept it was to deny the gospel. But I don't hear a lot about circumcision these days. In fact, I feel it's a safe bet to say that nobody even connects it with the gospel. That, in spite of Paul's "clear teaching" that if one allows himself to be circumcised then the gospel is of no value.

Now, I know that's not all Paul says about this point - but that's exactly what those of us who hold to an egalitarian viewpoint would say about the question of gender roles. What constitutes "theological evolution"? Is it simply a matter of saying that what was once said is all that can ever be said? Or is it a matter of reading all contexts - both the cultural context of scripture and our own context - and determining what the Spirit both has said and is currently saying?"

More challenging thought per line than most have per page...

You really should be reading his blog!

Comments

[ScottB]

Aw, shucks - I'm blushing! Thanks for the great complements!

[matt]

The Egalitarians pass it to ScottB, and he goes in for a dunk right on the Complementarians and Ryan. Oh, now he and Bob are celebrating with a jumping chestbump. The crowd goes wild.

[corrie]

Great point! I am still a complementarian, albeit squishy, but I find a lot of inconsistency on some of the arguments for complementarian heirarchy.

[grace]

I want to add my praise for Scott's blog. He has definitely helped to shape my thoughts about authority and power in the church and been patient in helping me wrestle with those ideas. In addition to his theological intellect, I appreciate his wisdom and spiritual insight.