Coda Scriptura

Neologisms for Evangelicals

CODA SCRIPTURA [(kō’ duh) (skriptər’ uh)] 

 [Coda: Middle English & Anglo-French, Old French & Latin cōdex codex c.1300, from O.Fr. code “system of laws,” from L. codex, earlier caudex “book, book of laws,” lit. “tree trunk,” hence, wooden tablet for writing. The sense in “secret code” is 1808. Codify first attested c.1800.] [Scriptura: 1250–1300; Middle English and Latin scrīptūra writing. See script, -ure] 

1. A belief that hidden beneath the plain linguistic, grammatical and historical sense of Holy Scripture as written, there lies mysterious meanings that can only be deciphered by certain codes to be discovered by elites who possess the mathematical, scientific and/or prophetic genius to do so.
2. Assuming the Bible to be an arcane system of communication, the textual content of it (either in whole or in part) is seen to be encrypted in symbols requiring the use of mystical formulas, calculations, keys, devices and/or signals to decode and ascertain its hidden meanings. 
3. The Bible used as a divining device, in which future events or destinies can be foretold by employing various methods of crypto-analysis. 
4. Interpreting the Bible by employing “sacred” writings from the collective pagan literature of mankind to assist in unlocking its secret mysteries. These collective writings include: apocryphal, pseudepigraphical and Gnostic writings; ancient mythologies, folklore and legends; astrological and zodiacal imagery; science fiction (UFOs, alien visitations, etc.); magical and alchemical writings; psychological (Jungian), anthropological, sociological and philosophical writings; scientific and pseudo-scientific theories; the writings of various mystics; oracles and ghost stories of spiritualism; the Mayan calendar; Masonic lore; inspirational literature; modern speculative writings including fairy tales, poetry and fiction, and other quasi-spiritual sources. (See Inclusive Scriptura) 
5. To the exclusion of other persons, a belief that certain elite adepts possess the consciousness required to decipher those matters sequestered away in the myths and fables (of which the Bible is part) which evidence that the collective human consciousness is ever-evolving into a greater realization of its own divinity. 

 “It may come as a surprise to many that there are ciphers [coded messages indicated by a letter or group of letters] in the Bible. Some are hidden; some, when revealed, are a key part of the narrative itself.” –Chuck Missler[1] 

The Truth:

“Allegorizing is searching for a hidden or a secret meaning underlying but remote from and unrelated in reality to the more obvious meaning of a text. In other words the literal reading is a sort of code, which needs to be deciphered to determine the more significant and hidden meaning. In this approach the literal is superficial; the allegorical is the true meaning.”[4] 

By the Lord’s authentication, the number one interpretive guideline is that Scripture’s central focus is Jesus Christ. We discover the meaning of God’s word not by knowing “codes” hidden–in which case, God’s Word would be accessible only to the elite–but through knowing Christ.

These days, impressive computer science, mathematical research, and Quantum physics may be nothing more than a sophisticated and elitist paradigm forced upon Scripture. The truth presented by in the Bible is plain, not encrypted; truth which is as relevant today as it was yesterday to Israel and the early church.[5]

Endnotes: 
1. Chuck Missler, Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages from the Edge of Eternity (Couer d’Alene, Idaho: Koinonia House, 1999): 53. 
2. Richard Noll, The Jung Cult: Origins of a Charismatic Movement (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994): 99. Noll describes the beliefs of Carl Jung in regards to the necessity of resurrecting pagan myths to create “a renewal in the spirit of the nations.” Emphasis added. 
 3. Richard Noll, The Aryan Christ: The Secret Life of Carl Jung (New York: Random House, 1997): 3-4. Note: Philemon was Jung’s “spirit guide” (p. 139). Emphasis added. 
4. Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, a Division of Scripture Press Publications Inc., 1991): 29. 
5. Thoughts shared by Pastor Larry DeBruyn. 

Adapted from www.dictionary.com

NOTE: This post is authored by several members of the Discernment Research Group, including Pastor Larry DeBruyn and Sarah Leslie, along with Pastor Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries. This is part of a joint project to develop a descriptive vocabulary for the new doctrines, practices and heresies of the emerging evangelical church. See also: Sola Mystica, Mantra Scriptura, Rhema Scriptura, Impressia Scriptura, Mystica Scriptura, Metaphora Scriptura, Inclusiva Scriptura, Nebula Scriptura, Narcigesis, Sola Experientia, Plura Scriptura. Additional definitions and satires are posted at www.apprising.org.