Detecting an incorrect interpretation is often easier than replacing it with a correct one, and one of the main reasons this can be so difficult is because it can be difficult to explain to someone exactly how and where they went wrong.  Two very helpful books have been written which I recommend in this regard: Scripture Twisting: 20 Ways the Cults Misread the Bible, by James W. Sire, and Exegetical Fallacies (2nd edition), by D.A. Carson.  The first of these two books is written at a more popular level, the latter at a more scholarly level, but every serious student of the Bible can benefit from both.  Each identifies and names ways that people misinterpret the Bible, and shows where and why these ways go wrong. 

     But what about people who just want to know the basics of how to interpret the Bible for themselves?  Is Biblical interpretation really so difficult that we have to go out and buy a bunch of books on the subject? 

     Yes and no.  The Bible is a large collection of ancient literature which Christians hold to be inspired by God.  Nevertheless, because it was written in ancient times, some level of study and scholarship is required to understand it.  Fortunately for us, most of the really hard work has been done for us.  People who have taken the trouble to learn the original languages of the Bible have provided us with several reliable translations of it.  Others who have studied the history and culture of Bible times have also written books to shed light on the Bible. 

     But most people don't have the time, energy, or even the money to build a library of books about Biblical interpretation.  What are they to do if they want to understand the Bible? 

     What I am about to suggest may not explain every difficult text you encounter in the Bible, but it will give you a head-start on understanding them.  You see, understanding the Bible begins with asking the right questions.  If we skip that step, we are more likely to come up with some very odd interpretations -- interpretations that neither God nor the original authors of the Bible ever intended us to make.  Whenever the Bible is being misused, misrepresented, or otherwise misinterpreted, 90% of the time it is because someone has failed to ask the following three simple questions: 
 

1.  What was the original author actually saying to his audience? 
 
     The answer to this question gives us the original message of the author.  The only way we can correctly arrive at the author's original message is by doing the work of grammatical-historical interpretation.  This is a fancy way of saying that we must pay careful attention to the context of the author.  This includes his literary context (what he wrote) and his historical context (the times in which he lived).  If someone quotes a verse to you, ask where it is and turn to the verse yourself.  Read several verses before it and then several verses after it, to get to know its immediate context and the author's flow-of-thought.  The context will help clarify the author's original message.  If it still seems strange to you, maybe the problem has to do with understanding the author's historical circumstances, which were often very different from ours.  So check out one of the many historical reference works available on the Bible.  Sometimes the best place to start is a good encylcopedia in your local library.  The author's original message is the actual point that he was trying to make with his audience, and there is a reason why the author's actual point is so important: the point for his original audience will never be different from God's point for you! 

     The second simple question we need to ask is: 
 
 
2.  What was this author, who was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, saying to all believers? 
 
     The only way that this question can be answered correctly is by doing the work of comparing the text in front of us with other texts in the Bible that deal with the same subject.  This is called "comparing Scripture with Scripture."  Only this way can we properly evaluate the theological ramifications of the text (i.e., what the text is actually teaching).  When someone quotes you a verse and it seems strange to you, and you've looked at the immediate context, checked out the history, and you still have questions, the answer to your problem could very well be found in another part of the Bible.  Very often there are other sections of Scripture which explain so-called "problem passages," but some people do not want you to know about those sections, because that would wreck what they are trying to prove.  There is a reason why it is important to read individual verses in the light of what the entire Bible teaches, and that is this: "The main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things."  And: God does not tell us anything important that He does not repeat many times for the sake of clarity!  So don't let anyone get you off on some wierd tangent, telling you that you have to move to Phoenix, or become a vegetarian, or change your name to Buford, all because of some obscure verse wrenched out of the context of Scripture as a whole. 

     The third simple question we need to ask is: 
 
 
3.  What is God saying to us through this text? 
 
     You cannot responsibly ask this question (let alone answer it) until you have first answered the other two.  Of course, very often the first two questions quickly answer themselves -- if and when you are paying attention to the context.  But this is not always the case, and very frequently it is not the case when people are twisting the meaning of the Scriptures, since it is often the more difficult texts that people tend to twist.  But only after arriving at a legitimate grammatical-historical interpretation, and after paying careful attention to the theological ramifications, can you make a valid personal application.  This is because God never tells us anything through His word that He did not tell the original audience, and that He has not told all believers.  If anyone comes to your house and tells you otherwise, be sure to count your silverware when he leaves! 
 
     This is the way we are supposed to read the Bible, and true spiritual leaders will show you how to do it, and help you do it effectively.  Here is simple diagram of this three-step process: 
 

What Often Happens Instead ...

     When you asked questions, did this person intimidate you with an impatient or even angry response?  Did he respond with his own special jargon that made what he was saying even more difficult to understand?  Did he rebuke you for even asking the question in the first place?  Did he side-step your questions by telling you that you would understand when you gained more "maturity" or "insight" or "experience" someday?  Did he respond with silence, perhaps just staring at you, or just looking down at the ground, until you felt quite stupid?  Did he elicit the testimonies of others in his group who assured you that he was right, that they used to question him, too, until they realized that he had unique "gifts," and that, in time, you would "understand?" 

     Another favorite response that spiritual abusers use when their interpretations of Scripture are questioned is to use the manipulative strategy of turning-the-tables.  This is a favorite strategy of Bill Gothard's.  When Gothard's interpretations of Scripture are challenged, one of the first things he usually does is to accuse the challenger of having false motives.  Many examples of this could be cited from his literature, correspondence, and personal interaction with others.

     One time, on a radio program, someone challenged Gothard's teaching that the Bible forbids the consumption of wine.  The person making the challenge correctly observed that the Bible does not, in fact, make this prohibition.  When Gothard heard this, he accused the speaker of simply trying to excuse his own wine-drinking.  But the fact of the matter was that this person was a tea-totalling abstainer from alcoholic beverages.  He was a pastor who believed and taught that, while the Bible does not forbid anyone from drinking wine (it only prohibits people from drunkeness), it is still the wisest course of behavior -- given today's addiction-ridden culture -- to abstain.  But manipulative table-turners will shoot first and ask questions later.  (This person is G. Richard Fisher, of Personal Freedom Outreach, and he reports that he has since confronted Gothard about this issue, but Gothard refused to apologize, instead trying to once again turn-the-tables on him rather than admit to being wrong.)

     These are some of the manipulative techniques used by spiritual abusers to avoid dealing with the Scriptures, and to wear you down until you either become one of their submissive, docile followers, or you leave.  (Of course, if you leave, your departure will be cited as proof that you were never really serious about a relationship with God ...)  I have experienced all of these things firsthand, and I know how powerful they can be. 

     You may get angry when you think about how these things happened to you.  To avoid the negative feelings of anger, you may just try to forget the whole thing ever happened.  But that anger could very well be part of God's healing process in your life.  If someone has used the Bible to mislead you, your anger is certainly justified.  Anger often comes from embarrasment, and it is always embarrassing to be deceived. 

     In my case, I was extremely embarrassed because I had gone to a good Bible college, and all my friends knew me as a person who was very well-grounded in the Scriptures.  I had even served for three years in local church ministry!  But I was deceived when a man with seemingly good credentials and recommendations tricked me into setting aside questions regarding the Bible's teaching. 

     "Oh -- that's just theology!" he would say.  "Your problem is that your head is so full of doctrine and theology that it keeps you from getting to know God!"  This person came into my life just after I had suffered a depressing career reversal, and so I was vulnerable.  ... And there was just enough truth in what this man said to enhance his deception: sometimes people can get their heads so full of arcane, irrelevant theological concerns that it obstructs their relationship with God, and I already knew this to be true. 

     But if a person comes along and says this to you, he (or she) is basically making an accusation against you.  The accusation may be valid, but it must be proven.  Jesus insisted upon this when He said, "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault..." (Matthew 18:15, NASB).  Spiritual abusers are very good at "discerning" things about people and then "confronting" them about supposed "spiritual problems" they are having -- but they are extremely poor at showing their victims their supposed "sins." 

     And since when are our spiritual problems solved by distracting ourselves from the actual teachings (or doctrines, or theology) of the Bible?  If a so-called pastor, counselor, or other type of leader, displays a refusal to deal clearly and responsibly with the text of Scripture, and then they turn around and blame some shortcoming on your part for why they are refusing to do this, then you are most certainly dealing with a spiritual abuser. 
 

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