The Biggest Fool in Christendom

The Jimmy Carter Hermeneutic

Mr James Carter unfortunately reads the Bible with his own autonomy firmly in place.  Clearly the Lord Himself must bow and conform to the ratiocinations of the former President.  Whether Mr Carter has ever been converted will finally be revealed on the Great Day.  But, whether he has or not, his understanding of the Scripture is offensive and shameful.  It is also puerile.

Here is one example of the "Carter Hermeneutic":

“Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.

We know that not all that Jesus said or did is recorded in Scripture (John  20: 30; John 21: 25), but that is beside the point.  The "Carter Hermeneutic" argues from silence, which--as is always that case with an argument from silence--allows the protagonist goes merrily forth to fill up the "silence" with his own stupid speculations.  Until someone pokes the borax.

Well, Mr Carter let's take your own principle seriously: according to you, apparent silence from our Lord means that you are free to decide what is right and wrong on an issue.  So, you would have no legitimate nor authoritative criticism to make against the following arguments:

"Our Lord never said a word about bestiality, therefore it is perfect acceptable and moral for a man to marry his cat in a civil ceremony and have sexual congress with that cat." 

Or, "Our Lord never said a word about cats: therefore, it is perfectly acceptable and moral to torture a cat to death."  Given your principles of interpreting the Bible, you personally could not have a problem with it; neither could you raise legitimate criticism of people who regarded it as a 'very fine thing to do'.

Or, "Jesus never said a negative word about the institution of slavery, despite the fact that it was rife in the ancient Roman world.  In fact, several of his parables arguably acknowledged the institution in a fairly positive light. Therefore, nothing bad can be said about the institution of slavery in the United States; it was a perfectly moral and ethical institution."

It was said of James I that he was the wisest fool in Christendom.  Things have progressed a bit since then.  It can now be reasonably asserted that a former President of the United States is a strong candidate for the sobriquet of the biggest fool in Christendom.  If we have to choose between fools, give us James I any day.  And we say that in the full knowledge that James I was a destructive, ineffectual, cowardly kind of man.  But, then, what does that say about the erstwhile former US President.