this because of parables like the prodigal son where it seems that each main character (Father and two sons) is conveying a point. The father represents our heavenly father and his willingness to forgive sinners despite their horrible sins. The older brother represents the hardened Pharisees and religious leaders who are greatly disturbed by God’s mercy and grace towards sinners. And the prodigal son represents all sinners who are enticed by the world and give into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These main characters come together and ultimately show that God is merciful and gracious towards all sinners if they will only repent and trust in Christ. 2. Why, in your opinion, do Christian speakers and writers so frequently stray into allegorical interpretation of parables? It is easier than trying to figure out the authors intended meaning. Using the historical grammatical method of interpreting Scripture requires much more work. It is much easier to follow the presuppositions that you already have in your mind rather than spending hours trying to figure out what the real meaning is. Pride. People want to find things that others have not. Everyone wants to be known as smart and insightful, so they concoct fanciful meanings from the text so that they will have something that is original and never been heard before. 3. Besides a donkey and elephant, can you think of any other widely recognized stock imagery in modern American culture? Some of the most dominant images in our culture are those relating to sports. My hometown is San Antonio and we only have one professional sports team, the San Antonio Spurs. Therefore, whenever I see a picture of a spur I think of our basketball team. Another widely recognized symbol in our culture is the cross. Although many people wear the cross on their jewelry as some type of religious statement, most do not have a clue as to what it really means. Finally, there are symbols that relate to different companies and businesses. For example, an apple with a bite in it is known as the image for Mac computers or a big red circle with a red dot in the middle is known as the
this because of parables like the prodigal son where it seems that each main character (Father and two sons) is conveying a point. The father represents our heavenly father and his willingness to forgive sinners despite their horrible sins. The older brother represents the hardened Pharisees and religious leaders who are greatly disturbed by God’s mercy and grace towards sinners. And the prodigal son represents all sinners who are enticed by the world and give into the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These main characters come together and ultimately show that God is merciful and gracious towards all sinners if they will only repent and trust in Christ. 2. Why, in your opinion, do Christian speakers and writers so frequently stray into allegorical interpretation of parables? It is easier than trying to figure out the authors intended meaning. Using the historical grammatical method of interpreting Scripture requires much more work. It is much easier to follow the presuppositions that you already have in your mind rather than spending hours trying to figure out what the real meaning is. Pride. People want to find things that others have not. Everyone wants to be known as smart and insightful, so they concoct fanciful meanings from the text so that they will have something that is original and never been heard before. 3. Besides a donkey and elephant, can you think of any other widely recognized stock imagery in modern American culture? Some of the most dominant images in our culture are those relating to sports. My hometown is San Antonio and we only have one professional sports team, the San Antonio Spurs. Therefore, whenever I see a picture of a spur I think of our basketball team. Another widely recognized symbol in our culture is the cross. Although many people wear the cross on their jewelry as some type of religious statement, most do not have a clue as to what it really means. Finally, there are symbols that relate to different companies and businesses. For example, an apple with a bite in it is known as the image for Mac computers or a big red circle with a red dot in the middle is known as the