Bibliography for: "Binding and loosing: a paradigm for ethical discernment from the Gospel of Matthew"

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  gotechs

  06/08/09 | Report as spam

  RE: Binding and loosing: a paradigm for ethical discernment fr ...

  I think your topic is well written and straight-forward. I
  would, however, suggest that you look at whether our
  framework for binding and loosing is indeed scripture. I know
  this may sound odd, but when Paul was addressing the
  churches he, being full aware of the teaching of Torah, chose
  to appeal to them on the basis of what was natural and right
  within their cultural understanding, not the scriptural context.
  Though he used scripture to teach about the nature of God,
  when it came to moral application he referred to local culture.
  Consider his address to the Corinthians on the length of hair,
  or the wearing of head coverings. He went against Jewish
  practice (Yarmulkas and Nazarite practices of having long
  hair) and not local. Also, in Romans, when he addressed
  idolatry and it's leading to a type of homosexual practice
  (though I would argue this was Pederasty he was referring
  to) he never once quoted the Torah, but spoke about what
  was "natural" versus "unnatural". This natural/unnatural
  argument was cultural because he used the same argument
  regarding the length of hair (who would say that short hair
  was natural in the sense of created function). Our binding
  and loosing has to be in relation to the simple application of
  love, not scripture (according to Pauline theology).