Bele and Lokai

“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” was an episode of the classic Star Trek series. It was a heavy-handed political allegory of the civil rights movement, involving racial animosity between an alien who was white on the right side and black on left side versus an alien who was black on the right side and white on the left side.

Reading Lutherans and Dispensationalists reminds me of Bele and Lokai. Lutherans interpret Jn 6, Lk 22:19 (par 1 Cor 11:24), and Jn 3:5 literally, but interpret Ezk 40-48 and Rev 20 figuratively. Dispensational Baptists interpret Ezk 40-48 and Rev 20 literally, but interpret Jn 6, Lk 22:19, and Jn 3:5 figuratively. Amillennial Lutherans resort to premil hermeneutics when they interpret Jn 6, Lk 22:19, and Jn 3:5 while premillennial Baptists resort to amil hermeneutics when they interpret Jn 6, Lk 22:19, and Jn 3:5. Lutherans warn you that unless you take their prooftexts literally, you’re on the primrose path to liberalism while Dispensationalists warn you that unless you take their prooftexts literally, you’re the primrose path to liberalism.