When I first started looking at the issue of Integration, I referred to my first encounter with the so-called conflict between Word and Spirit. The person I was speaking with had explained to me how certain communities of believers would be classified as Word congregations, while others would be classified as Sprit ones.
Related to this is the similar conflict between the subjective and the objective. By subjective I mean that which derives from within ourselves, including our thoughts, feelings, and other senses. These things are highly affected by our perceptions. The objective are those things that exist apart from our own existence and perceptions.
There are those who believe that the objective doesn't really exist, since we can only experience life through our perceptions. That is where questions such as "If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one there, does it make a sound?" arise. Our struggle over this sort of thing is an overemphasis on one aspect of this issue. While each of us can only experience life through our perceptions, things actually do exist apart from ourselves.
While it is true that we all filter the Scriptures through our own understanding, its truth exists apart from our existence. Instead of redefining reality to make it absolutely subjective, what we need to do is submit our subjectivity to the objectivity of truth as revealed by God in Scripture.
To be continued next time (with a TorahBytes message in between).
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