puzzled by the Bible, the faithful Christian cannot disagree with it."
17
To many liberal feminists
this commitment to Scripture appears oppressive and confining. Yet, the exegetical scholarship of
evangelical feminists has proven to be just the opposite and gives evidence to the positive role of
Scripture in theology.
18
The Word is a guide and a source of freedom, rather than a dictatorial,
arbitrary rulebook.
Experience Assists Us as We Read the Text
Experience is utilized theologically when a person encounters the Text. It is here that the
conversation between the Bible and the life of an individual or community comes alive; here "the
world of the text and the world of the reader are brought together in such a way that each mutually
informs the other."
19
The dialogue begins with Scripture; the task entails seeking out passages of
the Bible that may have particular relevance to the pertinent issue without compromising the
integrity of the Bible as a whole. Experience then speaks with the individual or group asking: in an
honest pursuit of truth, what squares with the present circumstances? Again, clarification is sought
in the Word and it is once more measured against one's experiences. Scripture continues to exercise
authority in the situation and the dialogue continues. This conversation in essence is a
hermeneutical spiral, gravitating toward truth along an asymptotic curve.
20
This methodological pattern is a process foremost requiring honesty concerning one's
theological presuppositions. As individuals approach the text and enter into the ongoing discussion,
17
Stackhouse, "Evangelical Theology Should Be Evangelical," p. 41.
18
See Judy L. Brown, Women Ministers According to Scripture (Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing,
1996) and Gretchen Gaebelein Hull, Equal to Serve: Women and Men Working Together Revealing
the Gospel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998).
19
James V. Brownson, Speaking the Truth in Love: New Testament Resources for a Missional
Hermeneutic (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1998), p. 17.
20
Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral : A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical
Interpretation (Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press, 1991). This discussion and journey along