Scriptural reasoning: Difference between revisions

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=== Beginnings of SR ===

According to James and Rashkover, "Textual Reasoning gave birth to Scriptural Reasoning (SR) as early Textual Reasoners developed friendships with Christian and Muslim scholars and began to experiment with reading scripture together."<ref>{{Harvnb | James | Rashkover |2021 | p=21}}</ref> Ochs recounts the early history: <blockquote>Beginning in 1994, a group of scholars of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity joined together to discover a way to conduct dialogue across the borders of these three Abrahamic scriptural traditions … We met for five years of biannual study until we discovered and refined the best method, which we called "Scriptural Reasoning" (SR).<ref>{{Harvnb | Ochs|2012}}</ref></blockquote>The term "Scriptural Reasoning" was coined by [[Peter W. Ochs|Peter Ochs]]<ref>{{Harvnb|Mudge|2008|p=123}}; {{Harvnb|Hauerwas|2008|p=19 n.43}}. Note that the phrase can also be found in some other contexts — sometimes in apparent dependence upon SR usage, as in {{Harvnb|Campbell|2006|p=60}}; '"scriptural reasoning" for Paul is necessarily a social and communal activity rather than being purely individual and personal.' Note that Campbell had already written on SR before using the term this way: {{Harvnb|Campbell|2001}}. Other uses, like that of {{Harvnb|Donnelly|2009}}, seem to be unconnected to SR.</ref> to distinguish the interfaith practice of scripture study from its tradition-specific antecedents. Ochs also argues, however, that SR presupposes parallel formation in practices of study across difference like TR: <blockquote>In its broadest meaning, SR includes two sub-practices: study-across-difference within a single scriptural tradition and study across the borders of different scriptural traditions … [T]he former, which we label "Textual Reasoning" (or TR), also makes an irreplaceable contribution to the overall practice of SR.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ochs|2019|p=35}}</ref> </blockquote>The international Society for Scriptural Reasoning (SSR) was founded in 1995.<ref>{{Harvnb |Ford|2007| p=278}}.</ref>The founders include Ochs himself, [[David F. Ford]], [[Daniel W. Hardy]], and Basit Koshul.<ref>{{Harvnb |Ochs|2006| p=147 n.3}}; {{Harvnb |Torrance|2009| p=128}}; {{Harvnb |Afzaal|1998| pp=3–5}} describes the importance of Basit Koshul in the extension of this practice to Muslims.</ref> In 2001, the SSR established a ''[https://jsr.shanti.virginia.edu/ Journal of Scriptural Reasoning]'' to publish research into SR and to displaysdisplay the academic fruits of SR as a practice.

=== Developments ===

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=== Muslim ===

Under the title, ''The Broken Promise of Scriptural Reasoning'', Muslim theologian, Muhammad Al-Hussaini, presents a critique of David Ford's Anglican-led Scriptural Reasoning initiatives, which he argues lack parity between participant religions, have been characterised by colonialist politics of control, and which he categorises as '''amalīyya fāsida'' ([[Arabic]]: عملية فاسدة), "corrupt practice".<ref>{{Harvnb|Al-Hussaini|2022| p=xviii}}: 'This was followed up with the written proposal from St Ethelburga’s that David Ford chair a “Scriptural Reasoning Reference Group” which would thereon exercise authority in relation to the proper usage and handling in SR of sacred Islamic and Jewish texts — matters which for centuries have been the sovereign and autonomous prerogative of jurists respectively of Islamic ''sharī'a'' and Jewish ''halakhāh'' alone'.</ref> He states that Fordian Scriptural Reasoning has "No ''minhag/minhaj'', no timeless established Judaeo-Islamic discipline of dialectical ''exegesis traditionis'', of thickly-reading holy books using instruments of philology, grammar, received oral tradition and sensitive exposition of concentric layers of literal through to allegorical readings of a verse". He contends, "Instead, Ford’s Anglican-led SR becomes merely a poor kind of inter-faith Protestant Bible study fashioned within the competency limitations of its self-appointed leadership". He expresses concern at what he suggests "appeared to be SR’s failure to respect indigenous ways of reading Islamic Scripture, namely alongside [[hadith]] and classical commentaries", and further asserts, "Over time I became increasingly offended at the instrumentalising of biblical and Quranic materials for political and funding agendas".<ref>{{Harvnb|Al-Hussaini|2020}}: 'In my protesting such fraudulent behaviour with respect to sacred texts of God [alleged financial dishonesty], I was instructed that, far from democratic parity of control in the project between the three participating faith houses, there was instead what David Ford claimed as “the asymmetries of hospitality” arising out of Anglican hosting and ownership in this initiative'.</ref>

Muslim theologian, [[Timothy Winter]], argues that the presuppositions and motivations of Scriptural Reasoning are alien to the Islamic context. He states, "Scriptural reasoning is not method, but rather a promiscuous openness to methods of a kind unfamiliar to Islamic conventions of reading". He also asserts that Scriptural Reasoning's claims to correct secular reasonings through a re-engagement with traditional reading have little resonance for Islam that has not experienced such changes in any meaningful sense. He writes, "There cannot be a 'return to Scripture' in Peter Ochs's sense, since the Qur’an has nowhere been abandoned, and Muslim interlocutors in SR are much more likely to feel part of an unbroken tradition than advocates of a latter-day ressourcement". He asserts the closer proximity of Jewish-Islamic traditional exegesis: "The three-way dynamic helps to reduce binary polarisations, but it does carry a bias towards the ‘Semitic’. Muslim-Jewish relations turn out to be privileged for several reasons which may relate to this traditional category". He goes on to state, "The cognate quality of Arabic and Hebrew, which frequently enriches the practice of comparative SR", but states, "If SR tends to exclude the search for precision, and to celebrate an ‘irremediable vagueness’ (Ochs), Muslims may demur".<ref>{{Harvnb|Winter|2006}}</ref>

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== References ==

* {{Citation | last = Abernethy | first = Bob | title = Scriptural Reasoning (interview with David Ford, Rumee Achmed and Peter Ochs | magazine = Religion and Ethics News Weekly | date = October 12, 2007 | url = https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes2007/by-topic10/worshipliturgy12/cover-scriptural-reasoning/1026/}}

* {{Citation | last = Adams | first = Nicholas | title = Habermas and Theology | place = Cambridge | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 2006a | isbn = 978-0-521-68114-8 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BvbJdgZgNJcC }}

* {{Citation | last=Adams|first=Nicholas|date=July 2006|title=Making Deep Reasonings Public|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0025.2006.00324.x|journal=[[Modern Theology]]|volume=22|issue=3|pages=385–401|doi=10.1111/j.1468-0025.2006.00324.x|issn=0266-7177|url-access=subscription}}