 Spiritual: September 06, 2023 Issue [#12164] |
This week: Prooftexting Edited by: Jeff  
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About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the Noticing Newbies Official Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Prooftexting
The term prooftexting refers to the practice of excepting quotations from documents to prove a point. For example, if I were to say there's nothing wrong with a Christian believer getting a tattoo on their body, someone might quote Leviticus 19:28 to me: "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." (NIV). That person would be prooftexting, by drawing an excerpt from the Bible to make their point (i.e., that the Bible does expressly say not to put tattoos on yourself).
Prooftexting is often used in two contexts: exegesis and eisegesis. Exegesis is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. Sermons at church, biblical commentaries, and the like are often exegetical in nature; they are intended to explain and interpret the meaning of the Bible. Eisegesis, on the other hand, is the practice of interpreting at text in order to validate one's own beliefs and biases. There are, sadly, a number of church sermons and biblical commentaries that fall into this definition as well, but it's also quite common for individuals to use select excerpts from the Bible in this way, in an attempt to confirm their own suppositions.
Take that example of the tattoo. Leviticus, a book in the Old Testament (and the third book of the Torah), details ritual, legal, and moral practices the Israelites must undertake to purify themselves so that God can live among them. But there are two important things to note here:
1. While the specific reason for why tattoos are prohibited isn't explicitly stated in the text, many biblical scholars and historians have pointed out that tattoos at the time Leviticus was written were typically a pagan practice associated with idolatry and superstition (e.g., people would mark their skin with a symbol honoring the thing that they idolized or the pagan deity they worshipped). It's likely that the "no tattoos" was a specific prohibition against permanent markings that would have fallen into the category of breaking the commandments (no other gods before me, no graven images, etc.).
2. The New Testament is silent on the matter of tattoos, and while there are differing beliefs on the degree of applicability of Old Testament in light of the sacrifice Jesus made, one thing that's clear is that all of the expectations placed upon the ancient Israelites in the book of Leviticus aren't as directly relevant to modern-day Christians as they were to those ancient Israelites. That same chapter of Leviticus, for example, prohibits the wearing of "clothing woven of two kinds of material" and "holding back the wages of a hired worker overnight" both of which are quite common in the present day, with our fabric blends and jobs that have weekly, biweekly, or monthly payroll intervals.
In light of the above, by most modern interpretations, there isn't a biblical prohibition against tattoos. Especially in a modern context where tattoos have become a popular form of artistic expression, some even for the purpose of expressing one's faith or glorifying God. I'd personally argue that the idea of not having a tattoo of an idol or false god is probably still good practice, but that means that tattoos are more of a "gray area" of sorts ... and that anyone citing Leviticus 19:28 as a prooftext for why the Bible doesn't allow tattoos is perhaps looking at the issue more from an eisegetical standpoint (providing confirmation bias of their already held belief) rather than an exegetical standpoint (a critical analysis of what the text says). A person citing Leviticus 19:28 on its own as the only thing the Bible says about tattoos isn't taking into account the full picture.
The Bible is a collection of 66 discrete books (or more, depending on whether your religious tradition incorporates the apocrypha), written by some 35-40 different authors, over a time period of approximately 1,500 years. It's roughly 750,000 words, and contains types of writing: narrative, poetry, prose discourse. Some people further divide those categories into subcategories like epistles, prophecy, parables, laws, etc. On top of that, the Bible is full of stories about what not to do, of humans completely messing up their lives and the lives of others. David, one of the great heroes of the faith, had an illicit affair, abused his authority, and tried to cover it up.
The point being, the Bible is a very lengthy, very complex literary work, and someone referencing a single verse from a single chapter is likely not capturing the full context of what the Bible conveys on the topic. Especially when it comes to applying scripture to concepts or ideas that aren't actually addressed in the Bible specifically. In those cases, for Christians who lead their lives according to the teachings in the Bible, it's important to be discerning about what the Bible says and how it might apply to our circumstances. But it's equally important to make sure that discernment is coming from a place of exegesis rather than eisegesis. If you're reading the Bible just looking for justifications or reinforcement of your own already-held opinions and beliefs, chances are you're not going to actually learn anything from it.
When you're looking to prooftext something from the Bible, I'd highly encourage you to keep the following two pieces of advice in mind before you cite the passage:
1. Read the verses (and sometimes even chapters) on either side of the passage you're citing. The Bible is ultimately the story of God and, like any story, it's important to understand the context of the pieces you're reading. Knowing what comes before and after the passage can help clarify whether the specific passage is intended to be used in the manner you're thinking of using it.
2. Ask yourself why that verse is in the Bible. The Bible is ultimately a book about revealing God's character to his people. Flawed people, who make mistakes over and over again (including misinterpreting his Word on more than a few occasions!  ). Before citing a passage of the Bible, it's worth asking what the passage reveals about the character of God.
Prooftexting in and of itself isn't a bad thing. Citing sources and finding excerpts from a larger work to make an effective, informed point is a valuable skill ... as long as you're not just looking for ammunition to use and weaponize against others that disagree with you. There are, unfortunately, a lot of people who use the Bible for that purpose, and that's an unfortunate use of both the practice of prooftexting and the purpose of the Word of God to the world.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
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EXCERPT: Many efforts are being made in the United States to share the Good News of the Gospel. College revivals like the one at Asbury University in Kentucky sparked a renewal of the revival age with other colleges and universities following their example. Missionaries from countries around the world are coming to the United States to bring hope to a fractured country.
EXCERPT: Oh, the eternal query echoes through the ages, carried on the winds of uncertainty. Where, oh where, does thine God dwell? Is He burrowed within the bosom of the earth, entwined with roots delving deep into the crust? Or does He linger in the embrace of the boundless sea, where waves whisper secrets known only to the tides?
EXCERPT: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28, American Standard Version) I know, your thinking “Not another religious #!%+ quoting the Bible”. I’m not! Just putting my thoughts down about life and what I see. I not going to talk about a religion, but a life and relationship. With all the chaos that is around us, it seems that peace in the soul is a dream.
EXCERPT: As a child, bored with all those people around me, I would pull out a hymn or a prayer book — with all those thin, soft pages — and tuck them into the center of the book. I knew I liked being Christian, and I know now that I still need to be. It helps me, and I wish it helped others. The flower the book became in my restless little hands as I gently bent those pages in. It was pretty, and it was something to do, and I felt guilty. Why should I bend these sacred words?
EXCERPT: Feeling lonely is a normal human experience, even if you have friends or are in a room full of people. You can feel lonely even when you are with other people. When you don't feel deeply connected to anyone or feel like you have no one who understands you or is willing to engage with you and make an effort, whether it's with friends or family.
EXCERPT: There was a time when I considered community largely irrelevant to my faith journey. Spirituality was, to me, an individual pursuit and something that one shouldn’t burden other people with, because they were on their own individual faith journeys of one kind or another. It’s only been in the past couple of years that I’ve come to understand that I had it backwards; our own individual faith journeys - for Christians in particular - are meant to be pursued in the context of community. Relationship with other people is essential to the Christian faith.
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (August 9, 2023)" about grace:
Thank you very much for including my short story, Living Backwards, in the Editor's Picks section.
Why do you think this editorial isn't stepping out of your 'comfort zone'?
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