1. What does Anderson mean when she speaks of “authority as domination” and “authority as partnership” as these pertain to biblical authority? How does she engage the views of Stanley Hauerwas and N. T. Wright to illustrate “authority as domination” and what criticisms does she offer?
2. In the final section of the chapter, Anderson introduces the term “hermeneutical ethics.” What, according to Anderson, is the crucial ingredient of “hermeneutical ethics”? Summarize how she employs the interpretive work of either Dale Martin or Jack Rogers to illustrate such ethics.
ANDERSON CHAP 7
1. Anderson states on p. 157: “Unlike the Constitution, which can be amended, though, the Bible is a closed canon that cannot be amended literally. Therefore, the only way that exclusionary biblical texts can be made more inclusive is by interpretation, that is, through human decision made within faith communities.” Describe and assess how reflections on the interpretation of the Constitution, which Anderson discusses both before and after the quotation above, can serve as an analogy for how to read and interpret the Bible.
2. What are the key goals of “a prophetic Christian” and “the beloved community” according to Anderson and persons whom she discusses? What crucial roles might prophetic Christianity and beloved communities play in realizing Crossan’s hope for post-civilization or Borg’s hope for a world informed by social justice?