How does one "get out" of their historical/cultural setting to discover theological blind spots? e.g., I presume everyone on PB would condemn the racial slavery existing in early America. When we look back on Christians who defended the practice, we are aghast.
And what about beliefs that we accept today that are clearly out of sync with the early church? e.g., the early church almost universally condemned the practice of contraception. It is now the accepted practice in the Christian community (and of course the larger culture). Many would look back and say that the early church was merely a product of their time in their view of the issue. However, how do we know it isn't us who are blinded by the larger culture?
Ultimately, it boils down to discerning what God says on a matter. But how do we identify biases introduced by our culture, tradition, time period, etc., so as to rightly divide the word of God?
And what about beliefs that we accept today that are clearly out of sync with the early church? e.g., the early church almost universally condemned the practice of contraception. It is now the accepted practice in the Christian community (and of course the larger culture). Many would look back and say that the early church was merely a product of their time in their view of the issue. However, how do we know it isn't us who are blinded by the larger culture?
Ultimately, it boils down to discerning what God says on a matter. But how do we identify biases introduced by our culture, tradition, time period, etc., so as to rightly divide the word of God?
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