De ethische hermeneutiek van A.L.Th. de Bruijne en de toepassing hiervan op homoseksualiteit

Samenvatting

This article examines the hermeneutical background of prof.dr. A.L.Th. de Bruijne’s view on homosexuality by zooming in on five aspects of the debate: the role of biblical texts, biblical-theological outlines, culture, science and tradition. Based on de Bruijne’s explicit hermeneutics and his implicit hermeneutical view of homosexuality, the article draws the following conclusions. First, concrete Bible texts are an important source of information, but not decisive. Second, the big story of God’s works in Christ is decisive in that our little story fits into this big story. Third, it is crucial to bridge the gap between biblical and contemporary culture in an informed way. Fourth, scientific research may contribute, but is not a decisive factor; everyday experience is. Fifth, the Christian tradition hardly functions in Bruijne’s hermeneutics, the global Christian church is not consulted. Ethics is embedded in the (contemporary) Christian community.