According to Brian McLaren, since the fifth or sixth century Christians in the West have read the Bible from the perspective of one particular story line -- paradise, fall, condemnation, and salvation/heaven or damnation/hell.
I believe McLaren is on to something. That story line is doubtlessly there. But it is not the only one. In large part, it is the result of a "backwards" reading of the Bible; backwards in the sense of reading back across centuries and centuries of interpretation to Jesus. McLaren suggests a "forwards" reading of the Bible; forwards in the sense of reading forward through centuries and centuries of interpretation to Jesus.
This sounds rather semantic and perhaps even esoteric. But, really, it is not. A backwards reading allows one set of sources to interpret the Bible for us, for example Pope Benedict, Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, John Calvin, John Wesley, Martin Luther, Erasmus, Aquinas, Augustine, St. Paul to mention a few. A forwards reading allows another set of sources to interpret the Bible for us, for example Abraham, Moses, King David, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, again to name a few.
Peace.
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