Historical Background and the Text

One of the lessons I learned while attending Northwestern Bible College here in Minnesota (Northwestern can make the check payable to John Byrne) is how to accurately exegete the meaning of Scripture. I learned that historical context can play an important role in understanding a particular text properly. That said, there is a limit to how much historical context can help. Because of this, very intelligent and well meaning teachers have come to poor conclusions. Let me explain.

In Ephesians 1:11 Paul uses the term predestined. I talked to another pastor recently who held a more Armenian perspective and he said Paul was a Palestinian Jew so he was referring not to individuals, but the church as a whole. I don't want to make this post about predestination, rather I am simply suggesting that it is easy to fall back on historical background when we don't like what the text says. Because Palestinian Jews tend to think more in groups does not mean they never think in terms of individuals. We must go to the text and make sure we understand what was being said there. Just because a person grew up in a certain area or something was common in a certain culture does not mean that we should necessarily interpret an author in that manner.

Historical background can add depth and meaning to our understanding of scripture. What it can't do is undermine the text itself. If someone wants to make an argument for predestination being directed toward the church and not the individual, fine, just don't over use historical background or culture to change the meaning of the text.

Dangerous Toys or Stupid People

The fact that there is a site called "Toy Safety" is bad enough, but they have come up with a list of the ten most dangerous toys of 2007. I thought it would be prudent of me to pass on their message and offer a few comments of my own. Here is the list:

• Aqua Dots
• This toy is dangerous because the dots could be swallowed and possible cause a child to choke. When I was a kid I didn't mess around with little dots, I chose much larger things to choke on like pennies, quarters, and anything else I could fit in my mouth like food. Actually I choked on food more than anything else. What terrible parents I had allowing me to eat food that had not been pureed in a blender first!!!! Of course if your child were to confuse Aqua Dots with a bag of potato chips the chemicals on the coating of the dots could become toxic. WOW, that is terrible. Perhaps we should only allow our kids to play with edible toys.
• Go Diago Go Rescue Boat
• Who knew a rescue boat could kill you or put in harms way!! This is great, what kind of message are we sending our kids. "Johny don't play with the rescue boat, you could die!!!" Of course the lead paint is what does the harm (there we go eating toys again, don't worry this toy is too large to choke on) The good news about the knowledge we have gained regarding lead paint is that we can now explain what happened to the Baby Boomer generation. (no offense)
• Sticky Stones
• These magnetic stones can cause severe damage!! WHATCH OUT!!! Here we go, I bet you can guess what the problem with this toy is....yep, don't eat em. Just be thankful the rocks outside are not magnetic or your kids could die from them too.
• Jack Sparrow's Spinning Daggar
• Just remember it is all fun and games until someone ____________________. Yep, can you believe the manufacturer of this toy does not warn buyers that an eye could be poked out with the dagger. HMMMMMMMMMM I don't even know what to say. Evidently we are all so stupid that we can't figure out a dagger could poke an eye out.
• Dora The Explorer Lamp
• Of course this dangerous toy isn't even a toy, it's a lamp. Yep, this lamp could burn your house down. I guess you should use candles instead.
• Lil "Giddy Up" Horses
  
• DON'T EAT THE HORSE!!
• Spider Man 3 Goblin Sword
• Another sword, but don't worry you won't get your eye poked out, you will just have series facial injuries. Besides if you give this to your kids they will quit playing swords with the sticks in the yard.
• Hip Hoppa
• This toy for six year olds doesn't have any warnings telling them to put on a helmet, elbow pads, or knee pads. I am just glad my six year old reads all the warning labels on a package before ripping into to to play with her new toy.
  
• B'Loonies Party Pack
• This toy is made with flammable chemicals. The good news, it is only dangerous when your kids are playing with matches.
• My Little Baby Born
• You might want to teach your kid not to put things in their mouth. I know, it requires actual parenting, but you can do it!!
• Rubber Band Shooter
• Now this is a great toy!!! Every kid should learn early in life how to shoot rubber bands accurately. This is important because we don't want our kids to miss the kid in the front row of the class room and accidentally hit the teacher. This would lead to such dangerous activities as writing sentences or receiving spankings from parents. RUBBER BANDS ARE NOT TOYS, THEY ARE WEAPONS AND SHOULD BE RESPECTED AS SUCH!!

I didn't realize the world was so dangerous. I have to go slide food under the door so my kids can eat. I have them locked in there safety room right now with no dangerous toys of any kind to play with. Don't worry, I only let them play with plastic (biodegradable) bags, natural sticks and non-magnetic stones. My kids are safe, are yours?