African slaves in early 19th-century America interpreted the Bible differently than their Protestant masters. To be sure, biblical differences have driven modern Protestant hermeneutics in two divergent directions. Theological liberals, on the other hand, tend to see so many problems with the Bible and so much distance between the ancient texts and the complex realities of modernity that they have become diffident concerning scripture's relevance to current debates. Neither approach, however, resolves the problem. To affirm both means that Christians must earnestly seek guidance from scripture and must learn how to talk about different readings in constructive and respectful ways.
Conversation holds within it the possibility of mutual conversion.
This requires that partners commit themselves to two disciplines. First, each positional group must be willing to articulate and to examine honestly the interests and values that underlie its reading of scripture. Jesus' counter-question seeks to investigate not only the text, but the community of interpretation as well. No matter how passionate our viewpoint may be, we should always remain open to others, because scripture itself is multifaceted and further reflection or different perspectives may yield a more compelling reading. After all, our contexts as readers change through time and space.