Distinguishing Interpretation from Application

From ‘Literary Criticism and Postmodernism‘:

Sadly, many Christians have succumbed to a Postmodern approach to scripture. You may have been at a Bible study before where it is the custom to go around the room sharing what this passage means to me. Having been influenced by Postmodernism, we think that any interpretation of a passage is just as legitimate as any other, while the question of what Moses, Luke or Paul may have actually meant is completely neglected….In this regard, what is true of scripture is true of other literary texts. Using Milton’s play Samson Agonistes to give us insight into religiously motivated violence in the post 9/11 world is one thing; claiming that doing this helps to clarify the actual meaning of the text is quite another. The meaning of a text is always and only what the author meant by it. That is why there can only ever be one correct interpretation of a text, even though there may be any number of legitimate applications.

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