Comments on: Dempster on Fundamentalism

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:14:01 +0000

Cool. I’ve had Beale’s book on my list for a while, so I’ll probably pick it up sooner than later.

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:52:20 +0000

So Dempster says that the left and right ‘use’ the text rather than ’study’ it. This is similar to what CS Lewis says when comparing literary people with unliterary ones. The former ‘receive’ a text, but the latter ‘use’ it:

“A work of (whatever) art can be either ‘received’ or ‘used’. When we ‘receive’ it we exert our senses and imagination and various other powers according to a pattern invented by the artist. When we ‘use’ it we treat it as assistance for our own activities” (An Experiment in Criticism, 88).

Dempster and Lewis are on to something. When fundamentalists come to the Bible, they use it to their own ends. When literary types (for Lewis, and perhaps for Dempster, this class of people allows the artist to speak for himself) come to the text, they allow the literary “pattern invented by the author” to speak. Dempster is right on the money.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:08:17 +0000

Jason-

Both were fantastic, and I highly recommend them both. Beale’s book is a hoss-you have to trudge through it in areas. Lot’s of extra-canonical stuff.

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:52:52 +0000

What did you think of Beale’s book? And, weren’t you reading Recalling the Hope of Glory? I am curious what you thought of both volumes.