Commontary:About
From Commontary
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The Open-Source Bible Commentary
Orthodox. Accessible. Missional.
Watch founder Steve Lutz describe Commontary on YouTube: http://bit.ly/LHL0J
The mission of Commontary is to make orthodox, accessible, and missional biblical exposition available to anyone, anywhere.
We do this in two ways: 1) by harnessing the power of mass collaboration through open-sourcing; and 2) by distributing Bibles and (book) commentaries to pastors in need around the world.
Commontary is currently pursuing 501c3 (non-profit) status, so that we may seek tax-deductible donations to help support our efforts. We are also pursuing partnerships with online booksellers who could link to our extensive bibliography section. We are seeking to develop other functions which will help us in our mission, including developing Commontary in Spanish and other languages, and developing an iPhone app., among other endeavors.
If you would like to help us in any aspect of our mission, please contact Commontary[AT]gmail[DOT]com.
The enterprise of Biblical Theology--including translation, hermeneutics, and exegesis--does not occur in a vacuum. Everyone approaches the Scriptures with particular presuppositions and from a particular context. For this reason, Commontary does not subscribe to the Wikipedia principle of Neutral Point Of View (NPOV). There is no such thing.
Commontary will interact with different points of view, but will do so from a clear and explicit “Point of View," summarized as follows:
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In our theology, we are unapologetically orthodox, in line with Biblical teaching and as summarized in the Apostle's and Nicene Creeds. In our doctrine of Scripture, we believe the Bible to be God's Word--infallible, inerrant, and utterly sufficient. The Holy Scriptures, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are unique among all books. They tell a story, the story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal of all things. The Bible was written by God, through human authors. As God's Word, it is meant to be read, expounded upon, and applied. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy [1] describes well our view of Scripture. In our hermeneutic, we are Christocentric, seeking to understand how all of Scripture connects to God's redemptive plan in Jesus Christ. Read How Jesus Fulfills All of Scripture. In our method, we are rigorous, informed, and intellectually engaging. In our application, we explain God's unchanging Word to an ever-changing world in relevant and practical ways. In this entire endeavor, we seek integrity--in our faithfulness to Scripture; in our use of the work by many who have gone before us; and in our dealings with one another. In all things, we seek to honor the God from whom this Word, and every good thing, comes. |
Why the need for Commontary?
- Accessible: People need access to sound biblical exposition. Conventional commentaries, while still incredibly important and valuable, are expensive and hard to access for many people, esp. those without access to theological education, those in other parts of the world, and the poor. Just as the New Testament was written in Koine Greek--the language of the streets, the language of the people--so we hope Commontary will be accessible to all kinds of people.
- Dynamic: The Word of God describes itself as "living," which should lead the reader to a dynamic encounter with the God of the Word by the Holy Spirit. It's our hope that the ever-changing nature of a wiki will facilitate some of this dynamic.
- Interactive: A wiki provides more voices, more perspectives, more dialogue, more feedback, and better illustration & application. No commentator thinks of all the relevant questions to a text, but through mass collaboration, we can get much closer.
- Modeling of a sound, Christ-centered, Gospel-centered, relevant reading of Scripture. Done by practitioners, it should aid preachers and teachers in their preparation. For examples of this, please read How Jesus Fulfills All of Scripture.
- Forward-thinking: Open-sourced is the way of the future. The power of mass collaboration is being harnessed with tremendous impact in a variety of areas all over the world.
- Reformational—putting the Word back in the hands of the people was one of the central contributions of the Reformation. We believe it is in line with Semper Reformanda for people to not only read it, but theologize on it. (Good editing acting as a control).
Do you want to become part of the Commontary Community?
- We will ask you to sign a good-faith statement to become an authorized, registered contributor. This will not be anonymous. We want you to stand by what you write.
- In cases where legitimate differences arise, we will seek to carefully and even-handedly explain the sides. But unlike other commentaries, that doesn’t rule out taking sides.
- We want you to rigorously cite all your sources—plagiarism is strictly forbidden. We have a zero tolerance policy and those who plagiarize will lose privileges. So please cite the best, but make sure you cite them!
- One of our first projects will be to break up the Scriptures by pericope or chapter.
- We also hope to write an introduction to each book, as well as excurses on topics that arise and a glossary of terms.
How did Commontary get started?
Any questions or comments may be sent to Commontary[AT]gmail[DOT]com
