I grew up Presbyterian and was taught the ceremonial/civil/moral formula for dividing up the OT Holiness codes. I have a lot of respect for it but as I studied the bible further it breaks down for me.
Example: Judges 19-21, the rape of the concubine. The nameless woman is chopped into 12 pieces and mailed to the tribes of Israel.
I do not want to explain that passage of scripture into irrelevancy. I want to lift it up for the sake of women and domestic violence. I want it to stand
as is because it says something awesome about trying to force the bible to be something it is not and cannot be for us.
There are, of course, hundreds of similar conundrums of biblical interpretation. God help us all.
