Some years ago I heard a prominent Bible teacher in Charlotte say the following about a particular section of Scripture he was going to teach. I am going to paraphrase "well as I was studying I came to some very interesting conclusions about this Chapter in this book of the Bible. Even though I can't find anyone else who has gotten this particular take and though it is unique I am fully convinced that this is what it means." This is no exaggeration and as I have reflected back on that teaching I am saying "be aware of the maverick teachers." These are men and women that totally ignore sound orthodox commentators down through our rich church history. When you hear them teach it leaves you with a sense of "why can't I see those kinds of things in the text." One of the first good principles I learned from Dr. Larry Dixon at Columbia International University was the following: Always leave those you are teaching with a sense of I can do that too. Here is a direct quote from the book "Studying the Bible for all it's worth." By the way this is a good word for all those who are proud of their own unique take on a particular section of Scripture. "The aim of good interpretation is not uniqueness; one is not trying to discover what no one else has ever seen before. Interpretation that aims at, or thrives on, uniqueness can usually be attributed to pride (an attempt to outclever the rest of the world), a false understanding of spirituality (wherein the Bible is full of deeply buried truths waiting to be mined by the spiritually sensitive person with special insight), or vested interests (the need to support a theological bias, especially in dealing with texts that seem to go against that bias).
Unique interpretations are usually wrong. How to Read the Bible for All it is Worth p. 18
Again, be aware of lone ranger teachers!
