Here we have a concise example of the conflict between conservative and liberal Biblical interpretation, except the “conservative”, Bill O’Reilly sounds as if he went to liberal Protestant seminary, and the probably liberal reporter Norah O’Donnell sounds like a literalist conservative, but she nailed it. The heretic stands over the Bible to ‘understand’ the Scriptures bent to his/her own perspective; the orthodox stands under the Bible and so understands it as God’s Word to us all. The Lord did not say much from the Cross, all total, 7 sayings. With the other thieves on the Cross, as recorded in Luke, He had a conversation with them and among themselves. Has Mr. O’Reilly ever been on a cross? It’s interesting that Mr. O’Reilly axed out, “Father, forgive them…” and sadly so. The Gospel according to Bill sounds as if the Lord’s forgiveness is not the main thing of the Cross.
Like Icarus flying too close to the son or Barack Obama going outside of his pay grade and trying to be president, Bill O’Reilly is a perfect example of an Augustinian/Neoplatonist* view of sin as “exceeding your brief” or going outside of your created order. I like O’Reilly as no-B.S. interviewer. When he starts to moralize or theologize he’s in the swamp, “bloviating.” I knew to avoid the book even before I started hearing the notices. (*Like O’Reilly, I’m pulling out terms I learned in college and I’m not looking them up to confirm that they’re the right ones, but I’m still smarter theologically than B.O. is.) 😉
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Mr. O’Reilly was raised Irish Roman Catholic. He also talks about rebelling against the strict nuns who taught him. Remember: the Roman Catholic Church teaches Scriptura, certainly, but not SOLA Scriptura.
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