The Mind and Interpretation
By: Michael Mewborn Introduction The Mind: God's Masterful Creation God created our minds so that He may be glorified by and through His entire creation. But what is the best way in which we can use our minds to glorify God Is there one way to use our mind that is better or more preferred by God than another As long as we use our mind and think with sincerity and a humble and contrite heart, can there be a worshipful sacrifice that is greater than another No. True and perfect worship and praise given to God is so bestowed merely when the Christian ponders God's creation. And can we count the ways in which God's creation can be pondered They are innumerable and endless. Sensitivity in Interpretation God has made the human mind and it is a very complex and powerful tool. A greater understanding and sensitivity to the functions of our mind will aid in understanding why we approach reality in particular ways. Therefore, I set forth a brief evaluation of the sensitivity and complexity with which the mind operates in order to further reflect the needed sensitivity that we must employ in interpretation and our inevitable participation in such a process. For the purpose of this work, interpretation can be viewed broadly as the perception and comprehension of reality. Inclusion of Extra Biblical Disciplines A fundamental premise of those who approach interpretation with sensitivity is that of recognizing the benefit of extra biblical disciplines in aiding Scriptural study and knowledge. A Christian psychiatrist or psychologist, philosopher and linguist can aid in understanding Scriptural revelation to the degree of an Old or New Testament seminary professor or a preacher; each understands reality; each understands God's creation and general revelation in a distinct light. Therefore, each has been given understanding by God through his given profession, which can of course illumine reality and God's revelation. Moises Silva writes, "Disturbing too is the fact that even conservative scholars in our day sometimes give much higher priority to individualism than to corporate responsibility. The idea of pursuing truth "wherever it may lead us" becomes a pious but misconceived motto, for truth rarely if ever manifests itself in isolation."1 He further writes that, "In spite of…qualifications, we can state unequivocally that modern biblical scholarship has helped to open up the meaning of innumerable passages of Scripture, sometimes in very dramatic ways.2 Descriptive and Prescriptive Analysis Defining Descriptive and Prescriptive Analysis At the end of my last work, I briefly explained descriptive and prescriptive analysis. During my evaluation of the present-day general framework by which Scripture is interpreted, I realized that it is more suitable at this time to focus on descriptive rather than prescriptive analysis involving interpretation. This is in part because descriptive analysis has been much less emphasized but is equally important and influential in our understanding of Scripture and our personhood. Furthermore, Scripture in many ways gives foundation to descriptive analysis. The authors of Scripture not only told us in certain ways what reality was (defined reality for us) and how to live, but also described their situations and their state of mind. They often wrote about their motivations and attitudes and the disposition of others; they also used various techniques in order to describe their surroundings.

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