Jumpstarter 8 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 8

In the head-covering example, Bercot argues Calvin imported “public worship” into 1 Corinthians 11 even though the passage “makes no mention whatsoever of public assemblies”; what are common ways we import assumptions into a text, and what safeguards could keep a church from repeating the “blind leading the blind” dynamic he describes?

Another way to ask: Bercot says Calvin read “public worship” into 1 Corinthians 11 even though the passage doesn’t mention church meetings. How do we usually add our own assumptions to a Bible text, and what could a church do to avoid that kind of mistake?

Direct Answer Bercot’s example shows importing assumptions by reading a passage through a pre-set category (“public assemblies”) and then letting later commentary repeat it until it feels obvious. Safeguards, based on his critique, include re-reading the immediate context and resisting unthinking dependence on inherited commentary.

Support from Transcript:

Calvin interprets 1 Corinthians 11 head coverings as “addressing public worship,” even though Bercot notes the passage “makes no mention whatsoever of public assemblies.”
Bercot appeals to context: the preceding section (1 Cor. 10:23-33) “does not concern public assemblies at all.”
He argues Calvin’s reading creates a problem: it becomes “absurd” because it clashes with 1 Corinthians 14:34 (“Let your women keep silent in the churches”).
Bercot shows how assumptions spread: later commentators (Matthew Henry, Gill, Clarke, Barnes, Hodge, etc.) all speak of “public worship” and “assemblies.”
He concludes, “almost every commentator unthinkingly follows,” calling it “the blind leading the blind.”

Discussion Follow-ups What ideas feel “obvious” mainly because you’ve always heard them? How often does your group check context before consulting commentaries?

Jumpstarter 8 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 8 of 10