Chalke Talk 70: How do we start again with Paul?

Following on from last week’s episode, Steve continues to look at the many ways Paul’s writing has been used to justify some of the church’s worst mistakes. From racism to homophobia, it’s hard to believe there is anything redeemable about Paul’s texts. As Steve puts is, “…it is no surprise that for too many he is the author of structural social exclusion.”

And it can be really tempting to “throw out the baby with the bathwater” and completely disregard any previous interpretation of Paul’s texts.

But Steve encourages us to start again with Paul. That doesn’t mean ignoring everything that’s come before us, but starting with the context Paul was in and then from there navigating so many of the social and interpretational issues that have come to dominate current conversations on Christianity.

“…I believe it’s time to start again with Paul – because the tragedy is that his voice has all too often ended up being misheard, misunderstood, misinterpreted, misused, misjudged and therefore written off as too stern, too misogynistic, too disciplinarian and too controlling.”

So what do you think about what I’ve said about deconstruction and reconstruction? Where do you fit at the moment? What role would you like to play in the future?