Post-Cult After Effects: Overreactions, Denial of Fault, and Abuse

Reading Ronald Enroth's book Recovering from Churches that Abuse, I found out some post-cult (or post-abusive church) after effects which are not mentioned in a kind of classic books on cult mind control - Combatting Cult Mind Control and Releasing the Bonds by Steven Hassan and Cults in Our Midst by Margaret Singer and Janja Lalich. These after efects are overreactions, denial of fault, and abuse.

Actually, Enroth is not a psychologist. He is a sociologist. He writes that he does not consider his book as a scientific research. However, he interviewed many ex-members of abusive churches. Instead of theories, he describes many cases.

In chapter 2, he describes one of the cases:

Cecily Talbot grew up in a fundamentalist church in a small town not far from Philadelphia. The little church could best be described as very legalistic and controlling. Among the taboos were jewelry, makeup, and school dances. Of all the members of her family, Cecily suffered the most from spiritual and emotional abuse, especially during her high school years. Cecily is now married and trying to put her past to rest.

"One of the biggest effects on my marriage is that I tend to overreact in my relationships with my husband. We are having an argument and he says something my fault, it strikes a nerve in me, whether or not it is true. My church blamed me for things over which I had no control. I was outspoken and often challenged the leaders and their teachings. No one in the church was supposed to challenge anything, and questioning those in authority was especially frowned upon. We were all clones who followed 'the man of God' no matter what. I refused to do that because I wanted answers to my questions. Yet years of being in an environment of blame and accusation have taken a toll. So today, when my husband says that something is my fault or that I should have done something differently, it affects me and our marriage seriously."

Victims are always on the receiving end of blame.

Because abusive church leaders typically blame members for anything that goes wrong, those who break free of the abuse either find it difficult to accept blame for anything or find themselves wallowing in self-blame.

In the case of Cecily, overreactions and denial of fault go together. When her husband blamed her for something, it reminded her how the leaders of the abusive church blamed and accused her. She did not accept her blame and overreacted.

In principle, overreactions and denial of fault are different things and may be separate. Overreactions as a post-cult after effect are caused by something that reminds about negative experience in cult or abusive church. This negative experience can be caused by the leaders. When somebody acts in some way that reminds an ex-member about the group leaders, he/she may overreact.

It is quite often mentioned in the literature that ex-members often feel excessive guilt. However, they may go to the other extreme and deny any fault at all whatever they do. Then, they eventually may think that they can do whatever they want.

One more Cecily's problem was abuse:

Cecily had found herself in a cycle of abuse. Like other forms of abusive behavior, emotional and spiritual abuse is sometimes perpetuated by being directed at other innocent people. "I was verbally abused by the pastor and his wife as well as by my parents. Because of that experience, I too have become an abuser, to myself and my husband."

People who were abused by others may learn this behavior and become abusers themselves. It also can be a problem for ex-members.

Regarding this problem, I can give one example. Stalin grew up in dysfunctional family. His father was an alcoholic and treated him in a very harsh way. His father was also very authoritarian toward his family. Then, he studied in a seminary where there was very harsh discipline, mutual spying, and other negative things.

Researchers agree that Stalin was greatly influenced by his father's behavior and by the seminary and copied these behavior patterns in the way he ruled over the Soviet Union. He pursued unlimited authority and control and distrusted people. His experiences related to his father and seminary led him to ruin lives of millions people. All these people had nothing to do with either his father or his seminary.

This is an example of a person who was abused and then became an abuser.

It is quite easy for people to find many other post-cult after effects such as excessive feeling of guilt, dissociation, depression, PTSD, and so on because these effects cause sufferings to them. However, overreactions, denial of fault, and abuse affect interpersonal relationship. They may be less obvious for the people who have them. However, they may be even more dangerous.

My New Site

In order to make some materials of this blog more accessible and more orderly, I started a new site on Google Sites: http://sites.google.com/site/lemanalsite/.

In principle, Google Sites is a service that provides an easy way to build a site. Of course, the services that provide easy ways to build sites, are convenient for those who do not know anything about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and so on. Webmasters find these services inconvenient because they have very limited set of functions and serious restrictions for web design and web technologies. I cannot call myself a professional webmaster, but I do have experience of making websites, working directly with HTML, CSS, and using some of JavaScript. So, I can see restrictions of the services like Google Sites. However, this service saves time because the work with HTML editors requires much time. This is why I created my new site there.

Bible Versions

In order to study the Bible (unless you use the original text), you need to consider what Bible version you will use. There are many Bible versions in English. This is not the same in many languages. Actually, it is very good that English speakers have an opportunity to use many versions.

No Bible translation is perfect because it is impossible to fully render the meaning of the original text in another language. There are two main reasons for that:
1) Each language has its own grammar. In many cases, it is impossible to keep the grammar structure of the original text. Some grammar categories may be missing or used very seldom.
2) Each language has its own vocabulary and the words usage. Each word has a spectrum of meanings, and these spectra do not match in different languages. So, it is impossible to translate a word using the same word each time.

So, different Bible versions render the meaning of the original text in somewhat different ways. Some versions are better and some are worse. No one is perfect. However, this does not mean that it is impossible to find out what the Bible says, reading it in translation. In most cases, there is no need to know all the shadows of meaning of the original text to understand what it means.

Regarding what translation can be considered the best, there are different opinions.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
2. John Beekman, John Callow Translating the Word of God

There are three types of Bible translations:
1. Literal translation - when the translator(s) translate the Bible text as close to the original grammar structures and words as possible. The problem of literal translation is that it often sounds unnatural and not so clear to the readers. An example of literal translation is King James Version.
2. Free translation - when the translator(s) try to translate the thoughts of the Bible not paying much attention to the words. They try to make their version as understandable for modern readers as possible. However, the meaning of the original text is lost. An example of free translation is Living Bible.
3. Dynamic equivalent - an attempt to translate the words, idioms, and grammar constructions of the original language into exact equivalents in the language of translation. An example of dynamic equivalent is Good New Bible. Most scientists consider this way of translation to be the best.

To study the Bible Fee and Stuart recommend to use dynamic equivalent translations, for example, New International Version or Good News Bible as the main version. It is also good to use literal translation, for example, New American Standard Bible as an additional version to compare.

Conclusion to Inductive Method of Bible Study

I have covered the main points related to the inductive method of Bible study.

The inductive method has three main steps:
1. Observation (What can I see here?)
2. Interpretation (What does it mean?)
3. Application (How can I apply it?)

It can be used in several ways:
1. Study of a verse
2. Analytical study (the study of a paragraph or a chapter)
3. Synthetic study (the study of a book of the Bible)
4. Thematic study (the study of a theme of the Bible)
5. Biographical study (the study of a character of the Bible)

In the process of the Bible study, it is important to follow general principles of interpretation and special principles of interpretation of figures of speech, including:
1. Parables
2. Allegories
3. Types
4. Symbols
5. Proverbs

There are also special principles of interpretation of literature genres of the Bible:
1. Narratives
2. Epistles
3. Poetry
4. Psalms
5. Prophesies
6. Apocalyptic

There are some hermeneutical errors to be avoided and some principles of study Greek words.

I hope this knowledge will help ex-members of abusive churches and cults in their independent Bible study. Besides the inductive method, there are other methods of Bible study. However, some of these methods require some special knowledge, for example, the knowledge of Bible languages. The inductive method is simple and effective. Anybody can use it and get much benefit.

Biographical Study

The following material is based on the books:
1. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
2. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

Biographical study is the application of the inductive method to study a character of the Bible.

1. Choose a person whose life you want to study. Decide the borders of your study - whether you will study the person's whole life or a part of it.
2. Find all the verses of the Bible where this person is mentioned. Use concordance for that.
3. Read each passage and find the main idea of each of them.
4. Write down observations, problems (what you do not understand), and possible applications for each passage.
5. Find out the biography type:
1) Simple narrative - description of facts about the person's life
2) Explanatory narrative - the biography that gives some lesson (examples: Daniel, Paul, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph)
6. Write down plan of the person's biography.
7. Write down the summary of the person's life in several paragraphs. Include the main events and facts without their interpretation. Try to keep chronological order.
8. Write down the strong and weak points of that person. What points of the person's actions or character were praised in the Bible? What were his/her errors or failures?
9. Find the key verse for his/her life. This is the verse that states the main direction of the person's life. Define the main achievement of that person.
10. Define the main idea about this person's life. It can be either positive or negative.
11. Find out historic situation and environment of that person's life. Use the Bible dictionary to find information when you need it.
1) When did the person live? What was political, social, religious, and economical situation of that time?
2) When was the person born? Who were his/her parents? Was there anything unusual in his/her birth or childhood?
3) What was his/her occupation? Did it influence his/her ministry?
4) Who was his/her spouse? Did they have children? What kind of people were the spouse and children?
5) Draw the route of the person's journeys. Where did he/she go? Why? What was done there?
6) How did the person die? Was there anything unusual in his/her life?
12. Write down about the person's life philosophy. What were his/her motives? What were his/her positions? What were his/her life goals? What did this person want to reach? Did he/she reach that?
13. Compare this person with other Bible characters.
14. Consider the application of what you have learned.

Thematic Study

The following material is based on the books:
1. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
2. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

Thematic study is application of inductive method to study a theme of the Bible.

1. Choose a theme or a word for study. Decide the borders of your study - a book, a section of the Bible, or the whole Bible. Write down the purpose of your study.
2. Find the passages that are related to the theme you study. You can use concordance or thematic Bible for that.
3. Write down all the references and your observations, problems (things you do not understand) and possible applications for each reference.
4. Write down the main ideas of each verse.
5. Classify the verses according to their categories.
6. Analyze the context of each verse.
7. Make a summary of each category.
8. Make a plan of each category.
9. Find the main idea of each category.
10. Compare the categories and think of their order.
11. Make a plan of the theme.
12. Find the main idea of the theme you study and write down several paragraphs developing this main idea. Use main truths or principles you found.
13. Check additional literature on the theme you study. Compare with your material and made additions.
14. Consider applications of what you have studied.

Synthetic Study

The following material is based on the books:
1. How to Study the Bible (published by BEE International)
2. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
3. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

Synthetic study is inductive method of the Bible study applied to a book of the Bible. It gives a panoramic view of the book without getting into all the details unlike analytic and verse studies. It is helpful to combine both methods in the Bible study. For example, when you are going to study a Bible book, you can begin with synthetic study of the book and then do analytical study chapter by chapter. After you have finished analytic study of each chapter, you can do synthetic study again. Synthetic study is harder than analytical study, but it is very helpful. In the beginning, it is better to choose short books for synthetic study.

1. Find out the historical background of the book:
1) Who was the author? Where and when did he write that book? What were his life circumstances?
2) Who were the readers? What were their life circumstances?
3) What were the social and historical circumstances at that time?
2. Read the whole book.
3. Find out the literature genre of the book.
4. Find out the way of presentation:
1) Thematic form - the author considers certain themes. Example: Matthew.
2) Chronological form - the author puts events in chronological way. Example: 1 and 2 Kings.
3) Apologetic form - the author presents his thoughts in polemic way replying to somebody. Example: Galatians.
4) Interrogation form - the author uses questions. Example: Malachi.
5) Logical form - the author expresses his thoughts in systematic and orderly way. Example: Romans.
5. Think of the form of the review table and draw it. The most easy way is to make one column for each chapter.
6. Fill out the table:
1) Find thesises or stages of the author's thought and write them down. However, you do not need to write down all the details.
2) Find the connections between the thesises or stages. The possible connections:
a) Association ("and")
b) Comparison ("as")
c) Contrast ("but")
d) Repetition (the same words or phrases are used repetitively)
e) Alternation (two ideas alternate - for example, Luke, chapters 1,2)
f) Details (deduction; from the general idea to the details)
g) Summary (induction; from the details to the general idea)
h) Causation (from the cause to the consequence)
i) Substantiation (from the consequence to the cause)
j) Explanation
k) Illustration
l) Climax
m) Turning point
n) Introduction
o) Conclusion
p) Questions
q) Answers
3) Think of the main idea of each chapter and then of the whole book.
7. Simplify your table:
1) Put the contents of your table in order. Try to combine two or more paragraphs into one (where they have the same main idea). Sometimes, several sections or even chapters have the same main idea.
2) Draw a new table. Fill it out with the main ideas of each section. Think of the main idea of the whole book. At this step, you should try to make the contents of your table as short as possible.
8. Define the main idea of the book. What does the book speak about (what is the subject of the book)? What does the book speak about the subject?
9. Define the author's purpose. Why and for what does the author speaks what he speaks?
10. Write down the argumentation (the presentation order).
11. Check additional literature. Read about the book you study in the Bible dictionary or encyclopedia. Read the Bible commentary.
12. Make conclusions and necessary corrections.
13. Make an plan of the book.
14. Consider about application of what you have learned. Consider whether you need to believe in that or apply it to your life.

Analytical Study

Analytical study is inductive method applied for study of a paragraph or a chapter of the Bible. Actually, analytical study is the most famous way of inductive method.

In principle, I have described the main steps of analytical study in the previous posts:
1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

However, there some other things that can be added.

The following material is based on the books:
1. How to Study the Bible (published by BEE International)
2. Discovery Bible Study (published by BEE International)
3. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
4. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

1. Read the chapter carefully and write down your observations and what you do not understand.
2. Write down the main idea of each verse. Then try to join main ideas of several verses into one main idea. Then you will be able to find paragraphs.
3. Write down the main idea of each paragraph. Then join main ideas of all the paragraphs into one main idea of the chapter.
4. Find out the main words (nouns and verbs) of each verse. Then find out the main words (nouns and verbs) of each paragraph. Eventually, find out the main words (nouns and verbs) of the chapter.
5. After you have found the main words of the chapter, define the main idea of the chapter again.
6. Entitle each paragraph and the chapter.
7. Find connections between the paragraphs.
8. Find out the application of the text you study.

Study of a Verse

Inductive method of study the Bible has three main steps:
1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

This method can be used in several ways:
1. Study of a verse
2. Analytical study (the study of a paragraph or a chapter)
3. Synthetic study (the study of a book of the Bible)
4. Thematic study (the study of a theme of the Bible)
5. Biographical study (the study of a character of the Bible)

So, the study of a verse is an application of the inductive method to study one verse of the Bible. This study also has the same three steps: observation, interpretation, and application. The study of a verse is the most simple way of inductive study.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
2. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

The study of a verse is the study of one verse in its nearest context.

1. Read the verse carefully several times and think of a title for it. This will help you to understand the main idea of the verse.
2. Read the verse again and mention all the facts you can find. Find clear and hidden facts. Give answers to questions (you may not be able to find answers to some of them):
1) Who? (Who are the people mentioned or implied here?)
2) Where? (Where do the actions take place?)
3) When? (When do the actions take place?)
4) What? (What is going on here?)
5) Why? (Why did that happen?)
6) How? (How did the actions take place?)
3. Consider what this verse means and how you can apply it.
4. Find the context of the verse. If you use an edition of the Bible where verses are grouped into paragraphs, you can take a paragraph as the context of the verse.
5. Write down all the facts you can find in the context.
6. Think of the main idea of each verse.
7. Define the main idea of the paragraph.
8. Write down the main contents of the paragraph in one sentence.
9. Consider the connection between the verses.
10. Think of the title for the paragraph.
11. Find the parallel verses for each verse that contain similar ideas. You can find them in concordance.
12. Consider how you can apply this paragraph.

Apocalyptic

There are apocalyptic books and chapters in both Old Testament and New Testament: the book of Revelation; Daniel, chapters 7-12; some chapters in Ezekiel, Zachariah, and Isaiah. There are apocalyptic passages in the Gospels: Matthew, chapter 24; Mark, chapter 13; Luke, chapter 21. Apocalyptic is the hardest biblical literature genre for interpretation. The fact that there are many variants of interpretation of Revelation and Daniel prove that. Besides biblical apocalyptic, there are some apocryphal and pseudo-epigraphical apocalyptic books. This genre was used in Jewish literature, but is not used now.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
2. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
3. Gordon D. Fee New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors
4. George Eldon Ladd A Theology of the New Testament

Apocalyptic literature is similar to biblical prophesies. Both describe the future. Both use metaphoric and symbolic language. However, there are differences:
1. Prophesies were first spoken and then written. Apocalyptic was usually written first.
2. Prophesies are usually short. Apocalyptic is longer.
3. Apocalyptic has a tendency to contain more symbols, especially, animals and living beings.
4. Apocalyptic emphasizes dualism (Christ and angels against Satan and Antichrist) more than prophesies.
5. Apocalyptic mainly comforts and encourages the righteous remnant. Prophesies often rebuke nominal believers.
6. Apocalyptic is mainly pessimistic toward human ability to change the present situation. Prophesies emphasize the importance of people's change.

The book of Revelation consists of three genres:
1. Apocalyptic
2. Prophesy
3. Epistle

The book of Revelation consists of four revelations:
1. Introduction (1:1-8)
2. The first revelation (1:9-3:22):
1) The ascended Christ (1:9-20)
2) Epistles to seven churches (2:1-3:22)
3. The second revelation (4:1-16:21):
1) The heavenly throne (4:1-11)
2) The seven seals (5:1-8:1)
3) The seven trumpets (8:2-9:21)
4) The angel with the open book (10:1-11)
5) Two witnesses (11:1-19)
6) The conflict between God and Satan (12:1-17)
7) Two beasts (13:1-18)
8) the Lambs and 144,00 redeemed people; preaching of three angels; reaping (14:1-20)
9) Seven bowls (15:1-16:21)
4. The third revelation (17:1-21:8):
1) The great Babylon (17:1-18:21)
2) God's final victory over the evil (19:1-21:8)
5. The fourth revelation - the New Jerusalem (21:9-22:5)
6. Epilogue (22:6-21)

The principles of interpretation of apocalyptic:
1. Define the source or the basis of the symbol. Is the symbol related to the Old Testament? Is it used somewhere else in Revelation? In the ancient mythology? In the modern culture? Is the symbol typical for Revelation? Is the symbol changeable in Revelation?
2. Define how the author used the symbol at this time. Does John use the symbol in its original meaning or not? Was the symbol changed and converted into a new symbol? Are there any inner keys that help to understand John's intention in using the symbol? Does John interpret the symbol himself? If so, use this interpretation for understanding other symbols. Is the symbol general or is related to something specific or some event?
3. Consider the vision as a whole. Take the vision as a whole and do not try to find all the details. The details are used either for dramatization or to supplement the whole picture to make it more clear. Do not try to make details allegories.

Epistles

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Principles of interpretation of epistles:
1. Epistles were written in certain situations. In order to understand them, it is important to find these situations:
1) Who was the author? What was his relationship with the readers? What and when did he write?
2) Who were the readers? What was their culture? What was their spiritual condition? What were their outward circumstances?
3) What was the case when the epistle was written? Does the epistle correct errors, answers questions, interpret doctrines, or instruct in behavior? Where and when the epistle was written?
4) What is the subject and the content of the epistle?
5) Was the epistle written to one person or a church (or a group of churches)?
6) If the epistle was written to a church/a group of churches, does it present doctrines in systematic way or its purpose is to give explanations regarding a certain case?

2. Find out the structure of the epistle. Main parts of an epistle:
1) Introduction:
a) Greetings
b) Prayer
2) Main part:
a) Doctrines (teaching, correction)
b) Instruction (practice)
3) Conclusion - plans of missionary journeys, blessings

3. Find out the principles from the epistle:
1) Notice what instructions of the epistle are related to general matters of faith and morality.
2) If the instructions were related to specific situation or culture, find out general principles applied in that situation.

How to distinguish culture related and universal instructions:
1. Distinguish the kernel doctrines of the Bible from its peripheral doctrines.
2. Distinguish the concepts that the New Testament considers as moral in their essence and those it does not. For example, Paul never mentions culture related matters in lists of sins.
3. Notice toward what matters the New Testament has the same attitude in all the passages and in what matters there are differences.
4. Sometimes, the New Testament indicates whether a principle is universal or local.
5. Consider the possible choices in the author's culture and his choice.
6. Consider the cultural differences between 1st and 21st centuries.

Biblical Narratives

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

The principles of interpretation of biblical narratives:
1. Take a narrative as a fact.
2. Do not base a doctrine on a historical fact. Narratives usually do not teach doctrines, but illustrate doctrines given as statements in other texts.
3. Find the main topic of the narrative.
4. Narratives tell about the events that happened, not what should have happened and not what will happen every time.
5. There is a difference between descriptions (stories) and prescriptions (instructions). Consider the characters' actions according to the general moral doctrines of the Bible. Pay attention how the story influences your attitude to the character or the event. If God approves some of a person's actions, it does not mean that He approves all his or her actions. What people are doing is not always a good pattern for us. Most characters are not perfect, and their actions are not perfect too.
6. Silence does not mean agreement. We are not always told whether the events that took place were good or bad. We are expected to consider that according to the clear prescriptions of the Bible.
7. Distinguish eternal God's commandments (for all the generations of believers) from His temporary commandments (only for one person or group of people).
8. Narratives often do not give all the details. What there is in the narrative is what the author considered important.
9. Define the size of the story: where it begins and where it ends. Usually, a story has three stages: 1) the character encounters a problem; 2) his or her attitude to the problem; 3) he/she overcomes the problem or is defeated by the problem. In many-plot narratives, it is easier to find a change of a plot by a change of environment.
10. Consider the story in the context of the whole book of the Bible. A story should be interpreted in the context of the book.
11. Eventually, God is the main character of all the biblical narratives. Search for indications of God's actions in the story even if God is not clearly mentioned in it. Consider what truth about God the story reveals. Consider the story in the context of the history of salvation. Search for God and His purpose in every biblical story.
12. Narratives are not expected to answer all our doctrinal questions. They have specific goals and deal with certain matters. Other matters are spoken about in another place. Narratives may teach something directly or indirectly.

Psalms

Since Psalms are poetic, they contain parallelism and figures of speech.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
2. How to Study the Bible (published by BEE International)
3. Fred J. Greve Old Testament Survey. A Study Guide
4. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation


CLASSIFICATIONS OF PSALMS

Classification of psalms according to their subjects:
1. Psalms of groaning - complains to God in difficult times. There are psalms of individual groaning and psalms of corporate groaning.
2. Psalms of thanksgiving - joy and thanks to God for something positive. There are psalms of individual thanksgiving and psalms of corporate thanksgiving.
3. Psalms of praise - praise to God for who He is. There are psalms of individual praise and psalms of corporate praise.
4. Psalms on salvation history - psalms on the history of God's work of salvation in Israel.
5. Psalms of celebration:
1) Psalms of renewing of the covenant with God
2) Messianic psalms
3) Royal psalms
4) Psalms of enthronement
5) Psalms of Zion
6. Psalms of wisdom - psalms that praise wisdom and teach wisdom.
7. Psalms of trust - psalms that express trust and faith in God.
8. Psalms of repentance - psalms that express repentance in sins.
9. Psalms of curse - psalms where psalmist asks God to curse his enemies.

Classification of psalms according to the feelings they express:
1. Psalms that express feeling of pain caused by sin
2. Psalms that express sufferings because of sinners' attacks
3. Psalms that express considerations about life of righteous and unrighteous people
4. Psalms that express considerations about God's nature
5. Psalms that express recollection of God's works

There are also other classifications of psalms.

Interpreting psalms, try to find information about historic background of the psalm from the psalm itself, other books of the Old Testament, and from the literature - Bible commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and Bible encyclopedias.

Also, try to find out the subject and feelings of the psalm.

Psychology and Theology in One Book

I found a book which I think is very helpful for ex-members of abusive churches and cults of Christianity - The Heresy of Mind Control: Recognizing Con Artists in Leadership written by Stephen Martin, a brother of Dr. Paul Martin, the director of Wellspring. Stephen Martin also works in Wellspring. He uses his experience of work with ex-members of abusive churches and cults in Wellspring.

In his book, he uses Dr. Robert Jay Lifton's Eight Criteria for Thought Reform. He also uses the Bible in order to prove that mind control techniques are unbiblical and heretical. He uses the Bible in order to refute mind control practices. I think this is a very interesting idea. It is very helpful for ex-members of abusive churches and cults of Christianity to refute mind control practices in the biblical way. In Recovering from Churches that Abuse, Ronald Enroth writes that all the unbiblical doctrines of abusive churches should be carefully refuted. This is what Stephen Martin is doing in his book.

BTW, Dr. Paul Martin has a doctoral degree in psychology. Stephen Martin has a master degree in theology. Dr. Paul Martin was one of the three chief editors of this book.

Online version (pdf) of The Heresy of Mind Control: Recognizing Con Artists in Leadership by Stephen Martin

Hermeneutical Errors

In Old Testament Exegesis, Douglas Stuart gives a list of frequent hermeneutical errors. These errors come from the violation of hermeneutics principles. I think this list can be useful for ex-members of abusive churches and cults in order to find out the errors made by the leaders of their former groups and in order to avoid errors in their personal Bible study and biblical interpretation.


A LIST OF FREQUENT HERMENEUTICAL ERRORS

Personalizing: Assuming that any or all parts of the Bible apply to you or your group in a way that they do not apply to everyone else. ("What Balaam's ass says to me is that I talk too much.") Also known as individualizing.

Universalizing: Assuming that something unique or uncommon in the Bible applies to everyone equally. ("We all have our Gethsemanes.") Also known as generalizing.

Spiritualizing: Assuming that events or factors have their real application in some religious truth beyond what they actually say. ("The lovely structure of the Jerusalem Temple encourages us to have our own lives well in order.")

Moralizing: Assuming that principles for living can be derived from all passages. ("We can learn much about parenting by noting how the father of the prodigal son handled his wayward child.") ("The Egyptians drowned at the Red Sea because they had vacillated. You can't vacillate and expect to succeed in this life.")

Exemplarizing: Assuming that because someone in the Bible did something, it is an example for us to follow. ("To learn how to tell stories in sermons, let us examine Jesus' storytelling.") ("Let's see how Jesus called disciples and let that be the model for our evangelism.") ("What can we learn about adversity from how the Israelites endured their years as slaves in Egypt?")

Allegorizing: Assuming that the components of a passage have meaning only as symbols of Christian truths. ("The 'lover' is Christ; the 'beloved' is the Church; the 'daughters of Jerusalem' are the Scriptures.")

Typologizing: Assuming that certain real biblical characters or things are mentioned in order to foreshadow other real-and more important characters or things. ("Joshua has the same name as Jesus; as a conqueror he points to The Conqueror.") ("Ezra came to his people from afar; entered into Jerusalem on a donkey; prayed before crises; taught what was to many a new law; purified the nation, etc. His life points directly to the Savior.")

The Root Fallacy: Assuming that the/an original meaning of a word always attends its usage. ("To be holy means to be set apart.") [cf. terrible/ terrific/ terrifying]

Genre confusion: Assuming that the interpretational rules for one genre apply to another. ("Jesus' parable of the workers in the vineyard contains seven helpful perspectives on the value of hard work.") ("The Twenty-third Psalm teaches us how to care for those under our authority.") ("According to Deuteronomy 33, if we trust God we'll never lack anything.") ("But Proverbs promises that if we honor God we'll be well liked by everyone!")

Totality transfer: Assuming that all the possible meanings of a word or phrase go with it whenever it is used. ("Head [kephale], of course, means 'source' here, just as it does in Xenophon's reference to the source of a river.")

Argument from silence: Assuming that everything relevant to an issue is mentioned in the Bible every time that issue is mentioned. ("Notice that Paul does not explicitly condemn premarital sex anywhere in his letters.")

Argument from authority: Assuming that the views of "experts" or a preponderance of them must be correct. ("Smith, who has devoted his life to studying Ruth, may be trusted ...") ("Since this is held by few scholars, it does not seem tenable.")

Israel-Church confusion: Assuming that things that apply to biblical Israel also apply to the church. ("We can learn how to discipline troublesome kids from this law about stoning disobedient children.")

Israel-modern nation confusion: Assuming that things that apply to biblical Israel also apply to modem nations ("According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, if we pray and repent God will heal America.")

Israel-modern Israel confusion: Assuming that the modern, secular state named Israel in the Near East is the Israel referred to in the Bible. ("How can we support the Saudis when they're the enemies of God's chosen people?")

False combination: Joining two statements or passages in such a way as to produce a hybrid conclusion. ("In Matthew 25 Jesus calls hell both outer darkness and also fire, so hell fire must be some kind of special divine fire that doesn't give off any light. You can feel it but you can't see it.")

Figure of speech confusion: Failure to understand any of the many nonliteral expressions in human speech, especially metaphors. ("Imagine the massive scale of Canaanite dairy farming and beekeeping that led to Canaan's being called a land flowing with milk and honey.")

Equivocation: Confusing a term or concept with another term or concept, thus misunderstanding its meaning. ("1 Thessalonians 5 says to 'abstain from all appearance of evil' so you can't even ask directions from a prostitute.")

False presupposition: Basing all or part of an argument or conclusion on incorrect assumptions. ("The Hebrew mind thought concretely; the Greek mind abstractly. This is why the Old Testament has more rituals and the New Testament more symbols.")

Interpretation of Prophesies

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)
3. Geoff Bennett The Bible: Dig a Little Deeper

A prophesy is an announcement of God's will made by a prophet. Sometimes prophets predicted future events. Sometimes they pronounced God's will related to the present time. They explained God's will, often exposing people in their sines and encouraging to repent. They also announced God's judgment if the people would not repent. So, there are two kinds of prophesies - those that are related to the future and those related to the present..

There are prophesies not only in the books of prophets, but also in other books of the Bible.

Some prophesies were interpreted in the Bible. Then we need just to find this interpretation in order to see how the prophesy was fulfilled.

Some prophesies have a time interval between events that the prophets did not realize. For example, in Luke 4:18-19, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61:1-2. The whole prophesy is Isaiah 61:1-3. However, Jesus stopped in the middle of verse 2 and then said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." The first half of Isaiah's prophesy was fulfilled in Christ's first coming. The second half will be fulfilled in His second coming. However, Isaiah did not know about the time interval between the two parts of this prophesy. He saw them as one event.

Some prophesies are typological. They are being fulfilled two times: in the time of the Old Testament and in the time of the New Testament. For example, in Hosea 11:1, it is said, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son." On the one hand, this verse was about Israel's exodus from Egypt in the time of Moses. On the other hand, Matthew 2:15 quotes this verse referring to Jesus return from Egypt to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary after Herod's death. So, this verse was fulfilled two times.

Prophesies are often poetic and contain parallelism and figures of speech.

Principles of interpretation of prophesies:
1. Read the text of prophesy carefully and consider whether the words should be interpreted literally or metaphorically. If it is possible, try to understand the text literally. Otherwise, try to understand figure of speech used in the text.
2. Consider historical background. The knowledge of history at the time of when the prophesy was spoken is very important for understanding it. You can find this information in the same book, in other books written at about the same time, and in literature - Bible dictionaries, Bible encyclopedias, and Bible commentaries.
3. Pay attention on the context. Do not take a verse from its context.
4. Consider how the prophesy was described. Some prophesies are written in the past tense. This prophetic past tense stresses that the prophesy undoubtedly will be fulfilled.
5. Find out if the prophesy was fulfilled in Gospels or in the time of the early church.
6. Try to find interpretation of the prophesy given by Christ and apostles. Read the parallel texts.

Interpretation of Proverbs

The following material is based on the books:
1. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
2. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
3. Leland Ryken How To Read The Bible as Literature
4. How to Study the Bible (published by BEE International)

Proverbs are brief and concise expressions that contain wisdom and principles of godliness. There are many proverbs in the book of Proverbs. The main thought of the book of Proverbs is morality, ethical prescriptions for daily life expressed in short sayings.

Interpreting proverbs, it is important to notice that they usually contain only one thought or truth. So, the details should not be too emphasized. Proverbs usually have one thought or similarity that should be found in interpretation.

Proverbs are general observations of life. Only in rare cases, we can interpret them as God's promises. Usually, parables are general principles that have exceptions. Proverbs reveal general principles through concrete examples.

Parables can be prescriptive (instructions) or descriptive (narratives). They should be compared with the context of moral instructions in the whole Bible in order to find out if they are prescriptive or descriptive, in other words, should they be followed as instructions or they are just examples.

Proverbs in the book of Proverbs should be compared with other proverbs in the same book and with the whole Bible in order that their principles to be correctly understood.

Many proverbs are poetic. This means that parallelism and figures of speech are often used in proverbs.

Proverbs have some special terms. For example, wisdom in the book of Proverbs is the ability to apply the truth in daily life. Wisdom is not something abstract, but it is practical. The fear of the Lord is the right position toward God, the condition of the heart that correctly realizes our relationship with the God as Creator. This is a reverence, and not a panic fear. A foolish man in the book of Proverbs denotes a Gentile, an unbeliever who lives according to his selfish interests and does not care for God. In Proverbs, foolishness is not a lack of mental abilities. These three terms are important for understanding the book of Proverbs. Their meaning can be drawn from the context of the book and the way these words are used there. The main purpose of the book of Proverbs is to teach wisdom, that is, practical godliness.

The book of Proverbs can be studied thematically or chapter by chapter. Thematic study helps to see what proverbs say about some subject. The study chapter by chapter helps to see many subjects of the book of Proverbs and many sides of life experience mentioned in that book.

The book of Proverbs, the book of Job, and the book of Ecclesiastes are called the books of wisdom. It was a special genre of biblical literature. All three books are mainly poetic. These books as well as Psalms and the Song of Songs are often called the books of poetry.

Benefit of Knowing Hermeneutics for Ex-Members of Abusive Churches and Cults

I think that ex-members of abusive churches and cults can get a lot of benefit from knowing hermeneutics. Leaders of abusive churches and cults usually do not teach their members principles and methods of interpretation of the Bible or teach very little. They have some reasons for that. They want their members to closely follow their teachings without any considerations, questions, and doubts. Knowledge of hermeneutics can help ex-members to think using their independent mind and thus be released from their group doctrines.

Leaders of abusive churches and cults often do not have any regular principles of biblical interpretation. Instead of taking the doctrines from the Bible, they twist the Bible in order to support their wrong doctrines. They like to use unclear biblical texts for that. They often use such things as figures of speech, parables, allegories, types, and symbols to give them the meaning they want. Doing that, they violate one of the main principles of biblical hermeneutics - any doctrine should be based only on clear texts of the Bible. Unclear texts can be only illustrations of the doctrines based on the clear texts.

There are also many other principles of hermeneutics that leaders of abusive churches and cults violate. So, the knowledge of biblical hermeneutics can help ex-members to find out the leaders' erroneous interpretations which are often made in order to prove their "God-given authority," the doctrines like complete submission to the leaders, and so on. When these errors are exposed, ex-members will see that the teachings proved by these methods are wrong.

The knowledge of biblical hermeneutics can help ex-members to understand the Bible better and to be released from the necessity to rely on their leaders' interpretation of the Bible.

Abusive churches and cults often have a tendency to pay more attention on the spiritual experience than on the Bible. Independent Bible study can help ex-members to understand their experience better.

Independent Bible study can also help ex-members to find the biblical concept of God. One of the problems is that abusive churches and cults tend to give an impression that God is very cruel. However, the Bible reveals that God is loving. Knowing that can help ex-members in their personal relationship with God.

There are actually many benefits from the knowledge of biblical hermeneutics and application of this knowledge. I do not think that I mentioned all of them.

Interpretation of Symbols

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
3. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

The differences between types and symbols:
1. A type always implies something in the future. A symbol is not determined by time.
2. A type always something actual - a person, a place, an event, or a commandment. A symbol can be invented.
3. A type may include several symbols.
4. A type is always concrete. A symbol is abstract.
5. A type always has some similarity with the antitype. A symbol may not have a similarity with the thing it represents.

Principles of interpretation of symbols:
1. Usually, there is only one comparison. Context should serve a measure of the only possible meaning of the symbol.
2. Try to find the explanation of the meaning of the symbol in the context. The Bible is the only interpreter of its symbols. If the author uses a symbol, it is implied that he will explain its meaning in the nearest context or that you know its meaning already from other texts.
3. There are no universal symbols in the Bible. The same word can be used as different symbols and in its literal meaning. It depends on the context.
4. If the author does not imply a symbol, then, there is no symbol there.

Interpretation of Types

The Bible does contain some types. When the Bible clearly indicates that a certain thing is a type, all the theologians agree that this thing should be considered a type. When the Bible does not contain these indications, some theologians still try to find types. However, most evangelical theologians are against that. They say that if the Bible contains a type, it clearly indicates that it is a type. Otherwise, the texts should not be considered as types. I agree with that. The fact that the Bible contains types does not mean that everything in the Bible should be interpreted typologically. If the Bible does not indicate clearly that a certain thing is a type of another thing (antitype), typological interpretation cannot be objective and will depend on the person who interprets the Bible. Typological interpretation is often used by leaders of abusive churches and cults in order to make the Bible speak what they want.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
3. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

The main characteristics of types:
1. There should be some point of similarity or analogy between the type and antitype. However, they may have many differences. For example, Adam is a type of Christ: "Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come" (Romans 5:14). However, the Scripture speaks more about the differences between them than on the similarity (Romans 5:14-19).
2. There should be an evidence that the type was set by God to present what it illustrates. A similarity can be considered a type if there is some evidence of God's proof of that type.
3. A type should illustrate something in the future. Antitypes in the New Testament unveils the truths more fully than types in the Old Testament.
So, something can be considered a type if there is a similarity between a type and an antitype, a proof that the type was set by God, and an antitype in future.

The kinds of types:
1. Persons as types illustrate some important principles or truth of redemption with their life. For example, Adam is a type of Christ (Romans 5:14).
2. Events as types have analogies with some later events. For example, Paul used the condemnation of Israel as a type to warn Christians about unfaithfulness (1 Corinthians 10:1-11).
3. Ordinances as types illustrate later events in the history of salvation. For example, Sabbath was a type of the believers' eternal rest (Hebrews 4:1-11).
4. Ministries as types include Moses' ministry who being a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15) is a type of Christ, Melchizedek's ministry (Hebrews 5:6) which is a type of Christ's eternal high priest ministry, and David's ministry of a king.
5. Actions as types. For example, Isaiah walked naked and barefooted as an illustration that Assyria would soon take the captives from Egypt and Ethiopia naked and barefooted (Isaiah 20:2-4).

Principles of interpretation of types:
1. Every type is interpreted in the same way in the Old Testament and the New Testament context. A type has only one interpretation and its interpretation is applied in a higher level. A type in the Old Testament has only one meaning which was implied by the author. So, the original meaning is not lost. However, types were used by God in a higher meaning as symbols of something else. An antitype is a realization of the original meaning of the type in a higher level.
2. When the New Testament give an interpretation of a type, we should use only this interpretation.If the New Testament gives two or three analogies between a type and an antitype, the interpreter should not invent more types, using every detail as a type.
3. Types should not be based on such weak analogies as color, number, ore shape.
4. A doctrine should not be based on a type. A type can serve only an illustration of a doctrine.

Interpretation of Allegories

In the Bible, there are some allegories. This, however, does not mean that the Bible is an allegory. Usually, in the biblical context, it is clear that this is an allegory.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
2. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
3. Vitaly Tkachuk Methods and Principles of Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures (in Russian)

The differences between parables and allegories:
1. Parables are enlarged comparisons. Allegories are enlarged metaphors.
2. In parables, the narrative and the interpretation are separated. In allegories, they are mixed.
3. Parables have one main thought, the details are valuable only if they are related to the main thought. Allegories have many comparisons and they are not always related to the main idea. So, all the details in allegories are important.
4. Characters of parables are real. Characters of allegories may be somewhat fantastic.

If the Bible contains an allegory, its interpretation is usually given in the text, for example, Proverbs 5:15-19; John 15:1-10; 1 Corinthian 3:1-5; Ephesians 6:10-17). So, the main principle of interpretation of allegories is to read them carefully to find out explanation of each detail. It is also important to notice the context of the allegory: when, who, and why said this allegory.

Interpretation of Parables

There are many disagreements regarding interpretations of parables. I will present the principles of interpretation of parables used by the majority of conservative evangelical theologians since I prefer their approach as the most matching the normal interpretation of the Bible.

The following material is based on the books:
1. George Eldon Ladd A Theology of the New Testament
2. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
3. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation
4. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

The main principles of interpreting parables:
1. In parables, the truth is recounted in earthly actions or events that were well known to most people.
2. Parables always contain a spiritual lesson.
3. There is always an analogy between the spiritual lesson and its earthly illustration.
4. Both the spiritual lesson and its illustration should be correctly interpreted.
5. Parables are not allegories. In an allegory, every detail is controlled by the author and the author can give a symbolic meaning to every detail. A parable is a story from daily living. The author does not invent this story and does not invent all the details. The details are often not important. The parable has one main idea and contains one truth, not many truths. So, in every parable we should seek for this main truth.
6. Interpreting parables, it is important to consider the prerequisites, the event, and the application. Prerequisites are the circumstances when the parable was told. Sometimes parables are preceded by the problems or event that Jesus was talking about in His parable. Parables are often followed by the way they should be applied. Sometimes Jesus explained His parables. So, try to find the explanation given by Jesus.
7. Parables in the Gospels are about Christ and the Kingdom of God.
8. Interpreting parables, it is important to consider the place and time of their origin.
9. Often biblical culture (symbols, daily life, and so on) gives a key to understanding parables.
10. Compare the teaching you found in the parable with the full context of the Holy Scripture. No doctrine should be based on a parable. Doctrines should be taken from clear biblical texts, and parables should serve only as illustrations of them.

The last principle is also important because parables are often used for twisting the Bible that takes place in abusive churches and cults. Their leaders use their own interpretations of parables in order to make the Bible speak what they want.

Hermeneutics for Ex-Members of Abusive Churches and Cults

I think, at this point, I need to give some explanations regarding my posts on the biblical hermeneutics. Actually, the main purpose of my blog is not theology. There are many good Christian sites, and I do not really think I need to add one more.

My main goal is different. My blog is intended for ex-members of abusive churches and cults. I was in one of these groups myself and I had my own experience of spiritual and psychological recovery. In the process of recovery, I have learned many things. I am aware of the spiritual and psychological problems of former members. So, I want to share my knowledge and experience in order to help others in their recovery.

Until recently, in my blog, I posted mainly the things related to psychology. I know that most literature on cult mind control was written by non-Christian psychologists who do not see the difference between mind control in religious cults and normal Christian spiritual experience. In addition, most counselors who provide psychological counseling for ex-members of cults and abusive churches are not Christians. So, they are unable to help their clients to have normal Christian spiritual experience and to see the difference between mind control and normal spiritual experience. In some cases, they even might promote atheism and be against any religion.

There are very few counselors who are knowledgeable in cult mind control and who are Christians. One of them is Dr. Paul Martin, the director of Wellspring. Their center provide psychological counseling to all their clients and spiritual counseling for those who want that. There is also another center - MeadowHaven. The founders of this center are Robert and Judith Pardon. They both are Christians. This center also provides psychological counseling and optional spiritual counseling. I do not know about other counselors who do both psychological and religious counseling of ex-members.

I think that ex-members of abusive churches and cults may need to know the difference between mind control and normal Christian spiritual experience. This is why in some of the previous posts I tried to define this difference.

Reading Recovering from Churches that Abuse, I noticed the statement that ex-members of abusive churches need "to examine and carefully refute any unorthodox teachings." This is why they need "instruction in sound study methods and the interpretation of the Bible." I have written about that in Psychological and Spiritual Counseling of Ex-Members of Abusive Churches.

In my personal experience, it was important to have a personal study of the Bible Christian theology including hermeneutics in order to get rid of what the group where I was taught me and also to get an orthodox Christian understanding of the Bible. To me, it was important both for my spiritual and psychological recovery. In the past, I felt that my mind was somewhat bound by the doctrines I was taught. My study released my mind from these bonds. In addition, in the past, when I was reading the Bible, I was always reminded of that group and their teachings. I do not have this problem now. I also gained much spiritual benefit when I learned the biblical teachings of God and many other matters.

So, I think that ex-members of abusive churches and cults need to refute the wrong teachings they were taught and learn the true Bible teachings. In order to do that, they need to have some knowledge of biblical hermeneutics. This is why I posted some material on that subject. My purpose is to help ex-members in their personal Bible study.

I am quite aware that there are different systems of hermeneutics. Probably, I need to make clear some of my opinions in this area.

Most Christian theologians admit that there are four sources of theology: the Bible, tradition, experience, and mind. However, they make different accents on them. Catholic theologians believe that the Scripture and the Tradition have equal importance. Protestant theology gives preeminence to the Scripture. However, Protestants do not deny tradition completely. They believe in the Apostles', Nicene, Chalcedonian, and Athanasian Creeds. They also have their denominational Confessions: Augsburg Confession, Westminster Confession of Faith, Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, Methodist Articles of Religion, and so on. They consist Protestant tradition. However, Protestantism gives priority to the Bible.

Then, liberal theologians give priority to the human mind. If the Bible does not match their concepts, they reject the Bible teachings. Conservative Protestant theologians also use their mind, but they give priority to the Bible.

Regarding the Bible and experience, there are genuine Christians who give them the same value or even give priority to their experience. Christian experience includes personal relationship with the Lord, the leading of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and many other things. There are Christians who interpret the Bible with their Christian experience and do not interpret their experience with the Bible. My opinion is that this way is dangerous. The Bible is objective and this is God's written Word. However, experience is subjective. Sometimes, it is hard to tell if a certain experience or a certain feeling is really from God or not. If the experience matches the Bible, then, the Bible gives a proof that it is from God. However, if the experience does not match the Bible, there is no evidence that it is from God. It may be from God and may not. There is no objective evidence.

I can give some examples. Sufism is Muslim mysticism. Sufis pursue the personal experience of God and claim that they have it. They do have some experience that they consider to be the experience of God. However, their experience matches Koran and not the Bible. The founders of the Oneness Pentecostalism claimed that they had a revelation from God that contradicted the orthodox teaching of the Trinity. However, their so called revelations were not from God because they contradicted the Bible.

Most evangelical theologians consider the Bible as the highest authority and believe that Christian experience should be interpreted by the Bible. I agree with them. I think it is even more important for ex-members of abusive churches to rely on the Bible more than on their experience. The problem is that in abusive churches and cults the leaders manipulate experiences of the members in order to "prove" that they are "God's apostles" and that they have the unique "revelation from God." Some leaders teach the members to rely on their experience more than on the Bible. When ex-members interpret their experiences in those groups with the Bible, they can distinguish which experiences were from God and which of them were from the leaders.

There are also different ways to interpret the Bible. Most evangelical theologians use the normal or literal way. This means that they do their best to draw their conclusions from the Bible using their knowledge of biblical history, culture, and languages (words and grammar). They try to understand what the Bible meant for the original readers and take the text of the Bible literally with the exception of the figure of speech. This way is the most objective.

Other ways are much more subjective. Allegoric and typological ways mean that the Bible is interpreted allegorically. Bible characters, events, and other things are considered to be allegories or types of spiritual things. The difference is that the allegoric way does not consider the Bible literally at all while the typological way considers the Bible both literally and allegorically. The Bible contains indications that some things were types or allegories. However, those who use allegoric or typological ways find them even when the Bible does not have these indications. The problem with this method is that the allegories are very subjective and depend on the person who interprets the Bible. When there are two allegoric interpretations of the same thing in the Bible, it is impossible to say which of them is correct.

One more way of the Bible interpretation is theological. This means that the person who interprets the Bible has some theological system and interprets the Bible according to this system. Then, if a biblical text does not match their theology, they try to explain this verse according to their system of theology. It is good when theology is used a summary of the Bible teachings and a whole picture of the Bible. However, if theological systems are used to force the Bible to say what it does not say, this is wrong. This way is also subjective.

Both theological and allegorical/typological ways are often used by the leaders of cults and abusive churches to twist the Bible. The normal way of the Bible interpretation is the most objective and provides the conclusions directly from the Bible, not from anybody's writings. I think if the former members want to know what the Bible (not anybody else) says, they should use this way.

Figures of Speech in the Bible

The Bible contains many figures of speech. This fact does not mean that the Bible should be interpreted allegorically. Usual human conversation also contains figures of speech, for example, idioms. This does not mean that when people talk to one another, their whole speaking is an allegory. Usually, the context shows that a person uses a figure of speech and that his or her words should not be understood literally. The same is with the Bible. Figures of speech in the Bible should not be understood literally. Figures of speech are often used in biblical poetry

This material is based on the books:
1. Vitaly Tkachuk Methods and Principles of Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures (in Russian)
2. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Bible verses are quoted from New King James Version.

1. Metaphor - use of a word in a figurative meaning on the basis of the similarity of two objects or phenomena in some way.
Examples:
1) John 6:51
"I am the living bread"
2) Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth"
3) John 1:29
"Behold! The Lamb of God"

2. Comparison - one object is compared to the other on the basis of their common attributes. The difference between comparison and metaphor is that in comparison two things are obviously compared (joined by the words "as" or "like"), in metaphor comparison is implied.
Examples:
1) Isaiah 53:6
"All we like sheep have gone astray"
2) Jeremiah 23:29
"Is not My word like a fire?"
3) Matthew 17:2
"His face shone like the sun"

3. Metonymy - the name of one object is used instead of the name of the other object on the basis of their outward or inner connection. The possible connections:
a. Between the object and the material it was made of.
Example:
Jeremiah 15:12
"Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?"
Iron and bronze are used instead of the armor made of them.

b. Between the name of the person and circumstances of his or her life.
Example:
Luke 17:32
"Remember Lot's wife"
The name is used instead of the event in this person's life.

c. Between the action and the tool of the action.
Examples:
1) Genesis 49:10
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah"
The scepter is used instead of reign.
2) Isaiah 2:4
"They shall beat their swords into plowshares"
3) Isaiah 22:22
"The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder"

d. Between the place and the people in this place.
Example:
Matthew 3:5
"Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him"

4. Personification - attributes of living beings are ascribed to inanimate objects.
Examples:
1) Luke 19:40
"If these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out"
2) Matthew 6:34
"Sufficient for the day is its own trouble"
3) Psalm 114:3
"The sea saw it and fled;
Jordan turned back."
4) Psalm 114:4
"The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs."

5. Hyperbola - exaggeration of the size, power, meaning, and so on, of an object or phenomenon in order to emphasize that.
Examples:
1) Judges 7:12
"Their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude"
2) 2 Kings 1:23
"Saul and Jonathan ... were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions."

6. Litotes - emphatic understatement. Litotes is antonymous to hyperbola.
Example:
Hebrew 11:28
"By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them."
Here "touch" is used instead of "kill".

7. Synecdoche - the name of the whole is used instead of the name of the part or vise versa. Sometimes, the plural number is used instead of the singular number or the singular number is used instead of the plural number.
Examples:
1) Matthew 6:11
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Here "bread" is used instead of "food".
2) Jeremiah 25:29
"I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth."
"Sword" is used instead of "swords".

8. Irony - a word or expression is used in the meaning oppositional to the literal meaning.
Examples:
1) Job 12:1-2
"Then Job answered and said:
'No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!'"
2) Ecclesiastes 11:9
"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
Walk in the ways of your heart,
And in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
God will bring you into judgment."

9. Anthropomorphism - human attributes, feelings, actions, or parts of the body are ascribed to God.
Examples:
1) Psalm 8:3
"When I consider Your heavens, the work of your fingers"
2) Psalm 66:7
"He rules by His power forever;
His eyes observe the nations"
3) Isaiah 59:1
"Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear."

10. Paradox - a statement that seems to be absurd or contradictory. However, actually, it is not absurd or contradictory.
Examples:
1) Matthew 16:25
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
2) Matthew 23:11-12
"But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Regarding the figures of speech in the Bible there are some principles:
1. In the beginning, consider the text literally.
2. If the literal meaning is absurd or contradictory, consider that this is a figure of speech.
3. Try to find some hints to the meaning in the context. Every figure of speech in the Bible has only one meaning.

Biblical Poetry

The Old Testament poetic books are Job through Sing of Songs. Old Testament prophetic books contain a lot of poetry. Other books of the Old Testament and the New Testament books also contain poetry.

Biblical poetry is different from the modern poetry. The main traits of the modern poetry are rhymes and rhythms. In the biblical poetry, there are no rhymes and rhythms. The main trait of the biblical poetry is parallelism. Biblical poetry also contains many figures of speech.

The following description of parallelism is based on the books:
1. How To Study the Bible (published by BEE International)
2. Carl B. Gibbs Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Bible verses are quoted from New King James Version.

Parallelism is a correspondence between two lines or verses. There are 6 main types of parallelism:

1. Synonymic parallelism - the second line in its meaning is equivalent or very similar to the first line.
Examples:
1) Psalm 2:4
"He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The LORD shall hold them in derision."
2) Psalm 1:5
"Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous."
3) Psalm 22:18
"They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."

2. Antithetic parallelism - the second line is a contrast to the first line.
Examples:
1) Psalm 1:6
"For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish."
2) Psalm 37:9
"For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."

3. Synthetic parallelism - the second line develops the thought of the first line.
Examples:
1) Psalm 95:3
"For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods."
2) Psalm 37:11
"But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

4. Culminating parallelism - the second line culminates the first line, repeating one element of the first line and adding a new element.
Examples:
1) Psalm 29:1
"Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength."
2) Psalm 96:1
"Oh, sing to the LORD a new song!
Sing to the LORD, all the earth."

5. Symbolic parallelism - one line expresses the main thought, the other line contains a symbol for this thought.
Examples:
1) Psalm 42:1
"As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God."
2) Psalm 23:1
"The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want."

6. Formal parallelism - there is no obvious parallel between the lines; the two lines are just joined together.
Example:
Psalm 2:6
"Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion."

Interpreting parallelism, it is important to notice that the two lines express one thought and should not be interpreted separately. One line often explains the other line and helps to understand its meaning.

Principles of Biblical Interpretation

The following material is based on the book:
Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible.

General principles of interpretation:
1. The Bible interprets the Bible. The Scripture is explained by the Scripture.
2. Interpret your experience with the Bible, and not the Bible with your experience.
3. Biblical examples are to be followed only if they are supported by commandments.

Grammar principles of interpretation:
1. The Scripture has only one meaning, and it should be understood literary.
2. Interpret words according to their meaning in the author's time.
3. Interpret a word according to the whole sentence and the context.
4. Interpret any portion of the Scripture according to its context.
5. When an inanimate object is used to characterize a living being, the statement can be considered figurative. When life and action is attributed to inanimate objects or phenomena, the statement can be considered figurative.
6. When an expression does not match the context, it can be considered figurative.
7. Parables have one main idea and details. Take into consideration the main idea.
8. Interpret prophesies in the normal, literal, and historic meaning unless their context or fulfillment clearly indicates their symbolic meaning. Prophesies may be fulfilled part by part.

Historic principles of interpretation:
1. The Scripture has some historic context and cannot be understood apart from its historic background.
2. There is a progress of revelation in the Bible. However, both the Old and the New Testament are parts of this revelation and are one.
3. Historic facts and events become symbols of spiritual truths only if the Scripture defines them in this way.

Theological principles of interpretation:
1. Before you are able to understand the Bible theologically, you have to understand it grammatically.
2. A teaching cannot be considered to be biblical if it does not summarize and does not include everything that the Bible says about this matter.
3. When two teachings of the Bible seem to contradict, receive both as biblical in hope that they will be solved in a higher oneness.
4. A teaching which is just implied in the Bible, can be considered biblical only if it is supported by other texts of the Bible.

Inductive Method of Bible Study - Part 3

In application, you are answering the question, "What does this text mean for me?" In this step, you find the principle of the text and then consider how you can apply this principle in your life.

In order to find the principle, you can try to answer the following questions:
1. Is there an example to follow here?
2. Is there a sin to avoid here?
3. Is there a promise for me here?
4. Is there an example of prayer here?
5. Is there an instruction here?
6. Are there conditions to follow here?
7. Is there a doctrine to believe here?

Considering the principles, it is important to notice that:
1. Some teachings are local, some are universal.
2. Some teachings are temporary, some are eternal.
So, some instructions in the Bible in the Bible were given only to one person or the group of people. Nobody except Noah was called to build an ark. Nobody today is called to leave the homeland and family and go to Palestine like Abraham. In these cases, the obvious principle is not applicable today. However, it is possible to find more hidden principle considering these texts. For example, both Noah and Abraham followed God's calling, believed God, and obeyed Him.

In the Bible, there are prescriptions and descriptions. Prescriptive texts contain some instructions. Descriptive texts describe how some people acted. It is easier to find principles in prescriptions. With descriptions it is harder. If somebody acted in a certain way, this does not mean that this is an example to follow. Before making this decision, you need to compare this description with prescriptions that person was supposed to follow and thus make an evaluation of that person's actions. If there is no prescription that can be applied, no conclusion can be made.

After you have found the principle, you can consider how you can apply this principle:
1. Toward God
2. Toward yourself
3. Toward others

Greek Words

In some abusive churches and cults of Christianity, leaders pay too much attention to some Greek words and even base their doctrines on them. This is why it may be helpful for ex-members to find out the true meanings of those words.

The following material is based on two books:
1. Gordon D. Fee New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors
2. David Alan Black Using New Testament Greek in Ministry: A Practical Guide for Students and Pastors

Every word has a spectrum of meanings. However, in the context, the word usually has only one meaning. This is why the purpose in studying the word is to find out what the word means in that context and what the author meant using that word.

In the word study, it is helpful to find answers to the following questions:
1. What are the possible meanings of the word?
2. What meaning is the most suitable in the context?
3. What is the meaning of the word in other passages of the same author?
4. Does the word have any additional connotation?
5. Are there any synonyms or antonyms of the word in the context that can help to find its meaning?

The most frequent errors in the word study:
1. The meaning of the word is defined only from its etymology.
2. All the possible meanings are applied to the word in every place it is found.
3. The word is considered to be the main idea of the text. However, the idea of the text depends on more than one word.
4. The word study is overemphasized and other methods of the exegesis are neglected.

Two examples given by Gordon D. Fee:
1. The Greek word for church is ekklesia. This word is derived from ek (from, out) and kaleo (to call). However, in the New Testament time, this word did not mean "those who are called out."
2. John used the words "phileo" and "agapao" (both mean "to love") interchangeably.

In order to find the spectrum of meanings of the word, it is good to find the meaning of that word in Greek:
1. Outside of the Bible
2. In Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament)
3. In the New Testament
4. In the writings of the same author

After you have found the spectrum of meanings, you can find the meaning of the word in the context. Try to find some hints in the context that can help to find the meaning.

Inductive Method of Bible Study - Part 2

The second step of the inductive method of Bible study is interpretation. In observation, you answer the question, "What can I see here?" In interpretation, you are trying to answer the question, "What does it mean?" In other words, you are trying to find out what the text meant for the author and the first readers. In this step, you are not trying to find out the meaning of the text for yourself.

Interpretation consists of two stages - questions and answers. First, you ask questions. Then, you are trying to answer your questions.

Questions:
1. What does it mean? (definition)
2. Why does it say? Why does it say here? (reason)
3. What does it imply? (implication)
4. How the words, phrases, or verses are connected? (connection)
5. How the thoughts are developed? (sequence)

In order to find answers, you can use:
1. The text that you study
2. The context (the fragments before and after the text you study)
3. Parallel texts in the Bible (you can find them from concordance)
4. Study of the culture of the biblical times (you can find this information from Bible encyclopedia and other literature)
5. Study of the most important words (using concordance to find out how the word is used in other verses and Bible dictionary in order to find the definition of the word)
6. Study of metaphoric language - metaphors, comparisons, idioms, allegories, personifications, anthropomorphism, hyperbola, and so on
7. Reference literature - concordances, Bible dictionaries, Bible atlases, Bible encyclopedia, and Bible commentaries (use them after you have studied the text by yourself)

After you finished answering questions, make a conclusion about the meaning of the text. After that, it is good to compare your interpretation with the Bible commentaries. If your interpretation contradicts several good commentaries, probably, you made errors in interpretation. So, you can you Bible commentaries in order to check yourself after you finished your own interpretation.

Inductive Method of Bible Study - Part 1

There are many ways of Bible study. One of them is the inductive method of Bible study. There are other names and several versions of this method.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
2. Howard G. Hendricks, William D. Hendricks Living by the Book
3. How To Study the Bible (published by BEE International)
4. Discovery Bible Study (published by BEE International)
5. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

This method can be used in several ways:
1. The study of one verse
2. Analytical study (the study of a paragraph or a chapter)
3. Synthetic study (the study of a book of the Bible)
4. Thematic study (the study of a theme of the Bible)
5. Biographical study (the study of a character of the Bible)

This method has three main steps:
1. Observation (What can I see here?)
2. Interpretation (What does it mean?)
3. Application (How can I apply it?)

Observation lays a foundation for interpretation, and interpretation lays a foundation for application.

The purpose of observation is to find facts. In observation, you search for the information in the text of the Bible. There are, actually, many things that can be found there. Before you search for the information in the text, it is good to find some information about the background of the book:
1. Author (who, when, and where wrote that book?)
2. Readers
3. Historic situation
You can find this information from the book itself, other books written at about the same time, and from Bible commentaries, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and study Bibles.

In the text that you study, you can find:
A. The context:
1. Who? (Who are the people mentioned or implied here?)
2. Where? (Where do the actions take place?)
3. When? (When do the actions take place?)
4. What? (What is going on here?)
5. Why? (Why did that happen?)
6. How? (How did the actions take place?)

B. The crucial words and expressions:
1. Words used several times
2. Other important words

C. The grammar structure:
1. Verbs - their tense and voice
2. Subject and object
3. Descriptive words - adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns
4. Conjunctions and prepositions

D. The literature structure:
1. Association ("and")
2. Comparison ("as")
3. Contrast ("but")
4. Repetition (the same words or phrases are used repetitively)
5. Alternation (two ideas alternate - for example, Luke, chapters 1,2)
6. Details (deduction; from the general idea to the details)
7. Summary (induction; from the details to the general idea)
8. Causation (from the cause to the consequence)
9. Substantiation (from the consequence to the cause)
10. Explanation
11. Illustration
12. Climax
13. Turning point
14. Introduction
15. Conclusion
16. Questions
17. Answers
18. Advice, warning, admonishment, promise

E. The literature form:
1. Discourse (Epistles)
2. Narration (Genesis through Ester, Gospels, Acts)
3. Parable (in Gospels and some Old Testament books)
4. Poetry (Psalms, Song of Songs)
5. Wisdom (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)
6. Prophesy (the books of prophets in the Old Testament)
7. Apocalyptic (Revelation)

F. The literature atmosphere
1. Environment and emotions of the characters
2. Tone, mood, and emotions of the author

In conclusion, you can give a summary of observations. You can also try to define the main idea of the text (what was written?) and the author's purpose in writing it (why it was written?)

Interpretation of the Bible

In the previous post, I wrote that learning the proper interpretation of the Bible is important for ex-members of abusive churches because abusive churches usually twist the Bible in order to justify their abusive and authoritarian practices. This often causes people to have wrong concepts of God and the Bible and frustrates their normal spiritual experience.

Actually, individual Bible study can be very enjoyable. It seems that many people think that Bible study and Bible interpretation are very difficult. This is not really so. Everything depends on the methods you use. It is impossible to write everything about Bible study and interpretation of the Bible in one post. I will just give some ideas.

It is often recommended to just read the Bible. This is good. However, the problem is that when you read the verses that were often used in your abusive church, you think that you "know" what they mean and are unable to consider that these verses might have a different meaning. In addition, they remind you of the abusive church and how they were used there.

Probably, the most simple method in addition to just reading the Bible is to read Bible commentaries. However, it is important what Bible commentary you use. The best commentaries give more than one interpretation of difficult verses. In addition, they give information on the background of each book and on the Biblical history and culture. I think this way is helpful because it gives another interpretation of the verses that were twisted by the abusive church.

It is good to read more than one interpretation of the verses (either in one commentary or reading more than one commentary). This gives you an opportunity to think about the meaning and use your ability of independent thinking. Sometimes, you will not be able to make a conclusion what interpretation is more correct. This is not a problem. Since even theologians who have special education and who spend much time on interpretation of the Bible have different opinions, this means that this verse is not easy to understand. It might cause some confusion in the beginning. However, it is also good to learn that there are different opinions in Christianity and that it is normal to have different opinions.

I think it is also very useful to learn the principles of interpretation of the Bible (hermeneutics) and methods of study the Bible. Probably, many people think that they need to know the Biblical languages in order to interpret the Bible. Of course, it is good to know the original languages of the Bible. However, it is not mandatory.

There are many books on hermeneutics and methods of study the Bible that can be used by people who do not have any theological education. I will mention just some of them:
1. Geoff Bennett The Bible: Dig a Little Deeper
2. Howard G. Hendricks, William D. Hendricks Living by the Book
3. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
4. Daniel M. Doriani Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible
5. Gordon D. Fee, Douglas Stuart How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
6. Henry A. Virkler Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical Interpretation

It is also good to get some "birds-eye view" of the Bible studying Old Testament and New Testament surveys. There are many books on the survey of the Old Testament and the survey of the New Testament. Some of them are very simple, some are deeper. I personally prefer 4 books:
1. Samuel J. Schultz Old Testament Speaks
2. Fred J. Greve Old Testament Survey. A Study Guide
3. Merrill C. Tenny New Testament Survey
4. Jesse K. Moon New Testament Survey. A Study Guide

In principle, study of the doctrines of mainstream Christianity may be also useful. There is a lot of literature on the Christian doctrines beginning with the books for new Christians and ending with the literature on systematic theology and dogmatics. However, many authors present the doctrines of their denominations or their personal opinions. So, it is important to notice the doctrinal positions of the authors and it is good to read the books of different authors who have different doctrinal positions.

Though learning the biblical languages is not mandatory, it is still useful. If you have no time to learn the languages, there are many interlinear translations that can help. However, they still cannot fully substitute reading the Bible in the original.

The Bible was written in three languages: New Testament Greek (the whole New Testament), Biblical Hebrew (the most part of the Old Testament), and Biblical Aramaic (some chapters of Daniel and Ezra). New Testament Greek (koine) is different from classic ancient Greek (Attic dialect). Biblical Hebrew is different from modern Hebrew. Besides Biblical Aramaic, there are many other Aramaic dialects. Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic are similar languages, but still they are different languages with different grammar and vocabulary.