Post by technomage on Jan 1, 2012 17:46:35 GMT
Salutations, all,
I am an amateur Biblical "armchair" scholar, a bit of a busybody, too undisciplined to be a polymath, but interested in just about everything. One of my areas of interest is biblical scholarship, but I tend to approach the topic from a secular and academic perspective, rather than from a devotional or apologetic perspective.
I probably need to define those terms as I use them. The devotional study of the Bible is the easiest to understand: this study is for those who believe in the Bible (however liberal or conservative their belief), and who study it from that perspective. The apologetic study is for those who seek to defend a particular partisan view, either pro-Bible or anti-Bible. (My main problem with apologetics is the tendency to ignore or deride opposing views, rather than seeking to appreciate and even learn from those who believe differently.)
I used to post on some other forums ... but got overwhelmed and exhausted with the constant drive to "win." Frankly, I dislike argument, and despise the appeal to insult and derision that sometimes results from debating on internet fora.
I'm looking for a new place to discuss the Bible, but as one can guess, many of the Bible-oriented fora are far more interested in the devotional or apologetic aspects of such a discussion. Even the secular or atheistic fora (especially the atheistic ones) tend toward an "anti-apologetic" stance, and I find such a stance just as distasteful as positive apologetics.
The crux of this post: will I fit in here? I realize it's difficult to answer the question "sight-unseen," but I hope the above will give at least a brief glimpse into who I am, and how I approach things.
Oh, and by the way--happy new year!
I am an amateur Biblical "armchair" scholar, a bit of a busybody, too undisciplined to be a polymath, but interested in just about everything. One of my areas of interest is biblical scholarship, but I tend to approach the topic from a secular and academic perspective, rather than from a devotional or apologetic perspective.
I probably need to define those terms as I use them. The devotional study of the Bible is the easiest to understand: this study is for those who believe in the Bible (however liberal or conservative their belief), and who study it from that perspective. The apologetic study is for those who seek to defend a particular partisan view, either pro-Bible or anti-Bible. (My main problem with apologetics is the tendency to ignore or deride opposing views, rather than seeking to appreciate and even learn from those who believe differently.)
I used to post on some other forums ... but got overwhelmed and exhausted with the constant drive to "win." Frankly, I dislike argument, and despise the appeal to insult and derision that sometimes results from debating on internet fora.
I'm looking for a new place to discuss the Bible, but as one can guess, many of the Bible-oriented fora are far more interested in the devotional or apologetic aspects of such a discussion. Even the secular or atheistic fora (especially the atheistic ones) tend toward an "anti-apologetic" stance, and I find such a stance just as distasteful as positive apologetics.
The crux of this post: will I fit in here? I realize it's difficult to answer the question "sight-unseen," but I hope the above will give at least a brief glimpse into who I am, and how I approach things.
Oh, and by the way--happy new year!