LITERARY CRITICISM VS SCRIPTURAL CRITICISM
Scribbled by
FREEMAN KORKARA KOBO

CRITICISM
Criticism could be defined as "primarily the organization of language in the pursuit of dynamic argument; to persuade and convince the reader that your interpretation is persuasive, makes a lot of sense and, in the final analysis, is the correct one."(Nnolim IX). From the foregoing, criticism is the act of analysing, evaluating, and interpreting a piece of work to uncomprehending audience who may have read the work without thorough comprehension.
It is almost appalling the way most scriptural critics (pastors, if you like) misinterprete the scripture. A garner of scriptural critics always 'cheat' the congregation instead of 'teach.' Let me state clearly that preaching the gospel is the same thing as teaching or critiquing. Thus, critiquing shall be used subsequently in the stead of 'preaching.' During sermon, a number of scriptural critics (pastors) speak in other tongues which are not intelligible to the congregation (audience). Of what value is 'speaking in other tongues' when there is no interpreter? ( see 1Corinthians 16:6-15). In the words of Northrop Frye, the duty of a critic is to "isolate quality" T.S Elliot, another literary critic and creative writer once said that it is not that writers do not know what they are saying but they sometimes lack the time, space and stylistic patterning to perfectly craft their works so that they achieve the intended specific effects in the readers. So the work of the critic is to help the writers to interpret these works to uncomprehending audience so that the desired specific objectives would not be lost. Most scriptural critics have deflected their congregation from the desired effects of the scripture by pitching their tents on tithes and seed sowing. (see Malachi 1:14 and Malachi 3:10). During sermon, the scriptural critic is supposed to interpret the scripture (Bible) to the uncomprehending congregation and not to preach "seed sowing" and tithing excessively. Thus, the onus to demistify the word of God behoves on the scriptural critic.
Rendering a succession of prophecies during critiquing (preaching) the word of God is also another practice that deflects the congregation from getting the substance of the intended message. This is not to say that prophecy should be annihilated. The preacher made us understand in (Ecclesiastes 3) that "To everything there is a season..." A day or period should be set aside for prophecy if need arises. Speaking in other tongues should be encouraged during warfare prayers and not during critiquing the word of God.
It is pertinent to point out here that the scriptural critic's (pastor) task is cumbersome as that of the Literary critic, thus scriptural critics should wake up to reality, needless to say.
Finally, this study states unequivocally that criticism is not totally the act of casting aspersions or quarrying mordant and sacarstic wit on someone's well kept image. Conversely, the study sees criticism as to critically look at a piece of work for proper analysis, evaluation, appraisal and interpretation. It is recommended that scriptural critics (pastors) should emulate literary critics so that the word of God would be effectively disseminated to both the congregation and the gentiles as excessive speaking in other tongues, shouting and prophecies during critiquing (preaching or teaching) the word of God may deflect listeners from the actual message.
WORKS CITED
New King James Version.(soft copy) Offline Bible.
Nnolim, Charles. Approaches to the African Novel: Essays in Analysis. Surulere: Malthouse
Press Limited. 2010, p IX. Print.