John 8:26 - "I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world."

Acts 17:31 - "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Acts 24:6b - "We wanted to judge him according to our own Law." (Paul being falsely accused by his detractors before the high priest)

1 Cor. 5:12 - "For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church?" (Paul)

2 Tim. 4:1a - "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead..."

Criticism

isn't always negative (can be positive)

can be constructive (not destructive)

can point out defects (and ways to rectify the defects)

can help generate audience interest (and dis-interest)

the vehicle for criticism

needs a method/framework

to test the proposed interpretation

1. Apprehension of the work by means of sense impressions.

(the critic actually needs to be exposed to the text)

2. Analysis of the work which puts it in perspective and corrects unbridled impressionism.

3. Interpretation of the work to the reader of the criticism.

4. Orientation of the work to its place in the history of similar works.

5. Valuation of the determination of the peculiar as well as the general essence of the work

(what is the worth of the text?)

growth of critics via the Internet

media saturated world (so many choices!)

society needs a cultural check (but not censors)

the content

the medium (media ecology)