Does Theological Tradition Matter for Bible Reading?

I had heard the terminology from him, “Great Tradition of Christian thinking.” It seems I was ready for a definition. My grandfather gives attention to scholar Thomas Oden’s treatment. Starting with a quote from Oden and concluding with my grandfather’s comments concerning his purposes in composing his final project:

“’All that is meant by tradition, then, is the faithful handing down from generation to generation of scripture interpretation consensually received worldwide and cross-culturally through two millennia.’ Oden’s phraseology is worth pondering—'scripture interpretation,’ ‘consensually received,’ ‘worldwide and cross-culturally,’ ‘handed down through two millennia.’ That is precisely what we are attempting to discover here, and it is not only good, it is ‘essential to evangelicalism’” (2-3).

This kind of tradition transcends denominational lines. The Great Tradition involves broad bodies of believers resubmitting themselves to the Bible amidst movements of the Holy Spirit. That is the essential tradition my grandfather further expounded upon in the pages of his book.

Seeing my pending viewpoint compromised by my grandfather’s clarifications, I started questioning my own practices concerning the reading of Scripture. What was my approach to determining what interpretation to believe as true? 

Largely, I would appeal to my felt sense of God with a “me, Jesus, and my Bible” approach. That is, if my internal senses were flared when reading Scripture, I would assume I had heard from Him regarding the meaning of Scripture. I would, no less, communicate this “interpretive experience” with all conviction to my peers. The one with the strongest spiritual feelings when reading Scripture should have the most sway or be the one with most presumed maturity of understanding amidst group discussions, right? 

I had already been appealing to an authority, was already inwardly assessing what was essential in order to believe any given interpretation of Scripture. Even though I had been to Bible school and knew how to employ exegetical tools, I realized that my approach was still heavy with the individualistic venture afore described, not the Great Tradition of which my grandfather spoke.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Sarah Noltner

While having my thought challenged by these new, better bounds, I was also losing my grandfather in this life as we were concluding our work on his book. The anticipation of this loss had once alarmed me with a manner of spiritual fear as I imagined a shallowing of my perspective on the Lord without his insights. He was a favored resource, with Scriptural wisdom an email, call, or soudan away. 

Today, while the loss of my grandfather remains felt, the absence is not productive of fear. For, he freed me of himself—to two millennia.

The final day I saw my grandfather—in this life—he had thought of an analogy that furthered the ideas on tradition we had been discussing for months. He likened the “me, Jesus, and my Bible” approach of Scriptural interpretation to Esau selling his birthright for a meal. My grandfather was right; the Great Tradition provides the longer sightline I need and an authority other than my gut. No longer can I view tradition as a peripheral, optional feature of my thought about God or interpretation of His Word.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Priscilla Du Preez

Lianna Davis is author of Keeping the Faith: A Study in Jude and Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss. She is also a contributor to We Evangelicals and Our Mission with Cascade Books. Lianna is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute and a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She lives in Illinois with her husband and daughter. You can learn more about her writing at her website.