GLOBAL
INTERPRETATIONS OF
CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES
RLST 206 & DIV/REL 3845
Spring 2013
Welcome!
Today……..
 3:10 Introduction: Presentation of the
Semester (and of the Syllabus)

Why study Global Interpretations of Christian
Scriptures? Why we need to “Read with”
Others? For ethical reasons. For theological
reasons. For critical reasons.
 4:25-5:25 Group exercise: reading Luke
17:11-19 where we will get to know each
other a little
 5:25-5:40 Preparing for next week
Welcome!
Syllabus……..
 Pedagogical Goals of this Seminar: (see
Appendix # 1 to this syllabus; page 10)
 REQUIREMENTS: Active participation
 Four Seminar presentations
 Quizzes: 4 quizzes on readings
 Paper Proposal and A PAPER = a Contextual
Commentary on a Biblical Book (2nd ½ of semester)
 Practical Steps of this Seminar:
(see
Appendix # 2 to this syllabus; page 11)
Why study Global Interpretations of
Christian Scriptures?
 Because there are many interpretations of the same
Scripture out there, and the VERY COMMON
ATTITUDE IS
 Of course, our/my own interpretation –and that of
our/my church, whatever it might be—is right
 And all the other interpretations are wrong, heretical,
meaningless, not faithful to the text;
 All other readers of the Bible as Scripture are wrong if
they disagree with us… because they are ignorant,
naïve, stupid, from an inferior culture (a non-Western
culture)… and simply need to be educated.
Why study Global Interpretations of
Christian Scriptures? Appendix # 1 A & B
 (See end of the syllabus) Three Parts
 A. To learn about distinctive interpretations of the
Bible as Christian Scriptures around the world.
 B. To Learn What is involved in any “interpretation
of Scriptures.” How it is related to:



a) the believers’ vision of life, structured by religious
experience and culture;
b) their concerns and commitments in the concrete
social, economic, political reality of their life-context,
and thus to their “ideology”;
c) their view of what is most significant in the biblical
text.
Why study Global Interpretations of
Christian Scriptures? Appendix # 1 C
 C- To recognize that Christian believers and scholars

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
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are always making a choice among several
possibilities of relating the teaching of the Bible:
to their cultures (from “total separation” to
“inculturation”)
to their religious experiences (from ardent spiritual
experiences to total lack of such experience in a
secular life; sacramental/liturgical);
to their life contexts (from concerns for the needs of
people every where to concerns exclusively limited to
people close to us— inter(con)textual and
liberation interpretation).
by choosing as most significant one or another
aspect of each biblical text. Analytical choice
Why study Global Interpretations of
Christian Scriptures? A)
 To learn about distinctive interpretations of the
Bible as Christian Scriptures around the world.
Why?
 a) Because most of the readers of the Bible are
Christian believers who read these texts as
SCRIPTURE —a fact that one cannot afford to
bracket-out be it in religious studies, critical studies of
the Bible, or in theology;
 b) Because 2/3 of Christian readers of the Bible are
in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, as
well as in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
 Only 1/3 of the readers of the Bible are in Western
Europe and North America
Learning about distinctive interpretations
of the Bible around the world is possible
 Because there is NO literal meaning of the Bible (aka
no fundamental interpretation of the Bible)
 There is NO literal reading.
 The phrase “literal reading” designates a specific type of
interpretation = a “literal Interpretation”
 Rather than speaking of “the literal interpretation” of a
text

as if there was only one,
 throughout this semester you have to become
specific and explain the nature or character of each
specific “literal interpretation”…
Learning about distinctive interpretations
of the Bible around the world is necessary
 There is nothing wrong with adopting “what the text
obviously means” for us PROVIDED that we recognize
that we have implicitly chosen an interpretation
 FOR THIS, we need other interpretations, from



Other cultural contexts,
Other socio-economic contexts
Other religious contexts
 THESE “OTHER” INTERPRETATIONS (if we respect
them) HELP US To recognize that “what the text
obviously means” (aka = its literal meaning) for us is an
interpretation.


Is choosing certain aspects of the text as most significant
And ignoring other aspects of the text… which are
“obviously” the most significant for people in other contexts.
Why study Global Interpretations of
Christian Scriptures? B)

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
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B. To gain a solid understanding of:
1) What is involved in any “interpretation of
Scriptures.” How it is related to:
a) their view of what is most significant in the biblical
text. [Analytical Choices = A]
b) the believers’ vision of life, structured by religious
experience and culture; [Hermeneutical,
Theological Choices = H]
b) their concerns and commitments in the concrete
social, economic, political reality of their life-context,
and thus to their “ideology” [Contextual Choices =
C]
Why study Global Interpretations of Christian
Scriptures? B) To gain a solid understanding of:


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2) What is involved in “interpretations of Christian Scriptures,” i.e.,
both New Testament and Christian interpretations of the Jewish
Scriptures (Tanakh or Hebrew Bible). What distinguish these
Christian interpretations?
WORD-TO-LIVE-BY for Christians with
[[Hermeneutical/Theological Choices]] A certain Christian
vision of life? Christian religious experience? A particular way in
which this vision of life is related to the believers’ given cultures?
[[Contextual Choices]] A certain conception of the believers’
relationship to their life-context? to power and authority? A sense
of responsibility for those in need, in their family, their Christian
community, their society, and/or in the international context?
[[Analytical Choices]] A certain view of what is most significant
in the biblical texts? Its “narrative” (e.g., because believers view
it as their story)? Its moral teaching (e.g., because it aims to
transform its readers’ behavior)? Its symbolism (e.g., because it
contributes to establish the believers’ view of life)? Its rhetorical
dimension (e.g., because it aims to transform its readers’ vision of
life and behavior)?
Why study Global Interpretations of Christian
Scriptures? B) To gain a solid understanding of:
3)
The diversified nature of “Global interpretations of
Christian Scriptures.”
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Because interpretations performed in different parts of
the world are “foreign” to us, they help us recognize, in
our own and in (Western) scholarly interpretations the
role of:
a) the believers’ vision of life; [[H choices]]
b) the believers’ concerns and commitments in the
concrete reality of their life-context; [[C choices]]
c) their view of what is most significant in the biblical
text. [[A choices]]
Why study Global Interpretations? C) To
recognize that Christian believers and scholars are


always making a choice among several possibilities of
relating the teaching of the Bible:

to their cultures (from “total separation” to “inculturation”)
and their religious experiences (from ardent spiritual
experiences to total lack of such experience in a secular
life); [[H choices]]

to their life contexts (from concerns for the needs of people
every where to concerns exclusively limited to people
close to us). [[C choices]]

and this, by choosing as most significant one or another
aspect of each Biblical text. [[A choices]]
always very much concerned to assess the relative value
of the teachings of the Bible resulting from each
interpretation, as they try to discern (with religious
discernment) those which are beneficial and those which are
destructive in their context.
Assessing the relative value of the teachings of
the Bible resulting from each interpretation
 As 2 Peter 3:15-17 warns regarding the interpretation
of Paul:
 “ So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you
according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking of
this as he does in all his letters. There are some
things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant
and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they
do the other scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved,
since you are forewarned, beware that you are not
carried away with the error of the lawless and lose
your own stability.” NRSV
Quiz!
(Numbers from World Christian Encyclopedia, David
Barrett, ed. (Oxford 2001, updated on line)
 Knowing that the world population is now about 7
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billion people
What are the four top religions in the world today
(2009)?
Alphabetical order: Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam.
Buddhist = about 400 million
Hindus = about 900 million
Islam = about 1.5 billion (with “b”)
Christianity = about 2.3 billion; no tiny
minority! … we ignore Christians in other
parts of the world!
As Word-to-Live-by
 Our reading of Scripture is incarnated, and
thus inculturated.
 There is a great diversity of interpretations of
the same Biblical texts as living Scripture by
Christians from many traditions and many
cultures, including from the Southern
Hemisphere where the majority of Christians
are.
 With the Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity,
learn about 2.367 billion readers of the Bible
CDC Articles on Denominations and their worship
2.367 billion Christians/readers of the Bible
Roman Catholics
1.150 billion
Protestant
s
471 M
Independent
s
357 M
Orthodox
275 M
Angli
cans
86 M
Other
28 M
CDC: Christian Renewalists (In Independent
Churches & Movements in Denominations)
Following Denominational Views
1.779 billion
Christian
Renewalists
588 M (growing fast)
“Christ died for our sins/for us”
What is the Word-to-live-by?
 1 Corinthians 15:3 For I handed on to you as of first
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importance what I in turn had received: that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures
Romans 5:8 God proves his love for us in that while
we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Romans 3:24-25 [sinners] are now justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice
of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
Mark 14:24 my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many (Luke 22:20 the new covenant in
my blood)
Matthew 26:28 this is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins.
CDC: “Christ died for our sins/for us”
What is the Word-to-live-by?
 Different: Why does Christ need to die for us? What
is wrong with us?
 For Many Western Roman Catholics and Protestants,
what is wrong is that God is angry with us, because
our sins dishonored and angered God… we must be
punished…
 For Most Orthodox, what is wrong is that we are sick
or in bondage: sin is a disease which infects us, or
an evil power which keeps us in bondage… we need
to be freed from bondage…
 For Renewalists, what is wrong is that we revolt
against God, we are angry with God … we need to be
transformed, converted (turned around), “renewed,"
and empowered to trust God (faith) and to love God…
CDC: “Christ died for our sins/for us”
What is the Word-to-live-by?
 For Many Western Roman Catholics and Protestants, we must
be punished… Christ is punished instead of us = Substitution
atonement (especially since Middle Ages, Anselm;
Reformation)

Benefit from it “through rituals” (Catholic) “through faith”
(Protestant)
 For Most Orthodox, we need to be freed from bondage…
Christ died is a “redemption” = Christ paid the ransom to free
us from bondage, making us the people God in a “new
covenant”; as the Israelites were freed from bondage in Egypt
and made the people of God in a “covenant” (Earliest)
 For Renewalists, we must be transformed, converted (turned
around), and empowered to trust God (faith) and to love God…
Christ’s blood and His Spirit empower us so that we might
have faith (trust God), be born again, give our lives to God,
and serve God through our entire life (especially since
Abelard; Middle Ages and Modern)
“Grace”
What is the Word-to-live-by?
 Charis, either “Grace,” or the “Gift” of God in Christ has then
different meanings.
 For Many Western Roman Catholics and Protestants, Christ is
punished instead of us = Substitution atonement Grace =
forgiveness by God

Benefit from it “through rituals” (Catholic) “through faith”
(Protestant)
 For Most Orthodox, Christ died is a “redemption” =
Christ paid the ransom to free us from bondage, Grace =
the gift of God = redemption, healing
 For Renewalists Christ’s blood and His Spirit empower
us so that we might have faith (trust God), be born again,
give our lives to God, and serve God through our entire
life Grace = the gift of God = the gift of empowerment;
the gift of the Spirit
CDC “Christ died for our sins”
Denominational views modified, adjusted,
transformed by Cultures
 It is NOT the same thing to speak of God’s anger in
different cultures:

“God” = common name (NOT a proper name), thus translated
in each language – keeping much of the meaning that “god”
has in the religions in this cultural setting
 It is NOT the same thing to speak of bondage in different
cultures, religious contexts, social contexts


Bondage to evil spirits in “spiritual warfare” vs. bondage to
bad culture vs. Economic, social bondage to poverty
It is NOT the same thing to speak of revolt against God, or
of the need to be transformed/converted in different
cultural, religious, and social contexts

The empowerment to be children of God might be an
empowerment to reject one’s culture or to discover Christ
already at work in one’s cultural setting, transforming it or to
discover Christ already embodied in one’s culture
Syllabus……..
 The Global Bible Interpretation Form
=
comparing our interpretations with the interpretations of people
around the world
 Group exercise: reading Luke 17:11-19
 For next week, the beatitudes Matthew 5:3-12
History of World Christianity:
Survey
(2010) c2.273 billion Christians 1/3 world
Peters
Projection=Area Accurate… Africa, South America , Asia are much
population
larger!
Articles on History of Christianity
in
Africa
Asia Europe
Latin
America
Middle
East:
Syria
North
America
South
Pacific &
Australia
312
M
511
M
>5
M
260
M
25
M

389
M
North
Africa
531
M
Balkans
Eastern
Europe
Western
Europe
Article on History of Christianity in
Latin America (c511 M, growing)
History of C. in Europe (with Eastern
Europe & Russia) 2000: c531 M (going
down)
History of C. in Africa (2000) c389 M
1/2 Charismatics/Renewalists and AICs. (growing
fast)
History of Christianity in Asia
(c312 M, growing fast)
History of C. in North America
(c260 M, stable; move to Independents)
History of C. in South Pacific &
Australia (c25 M, stable)
History of C. in the Middle East:
Syriac Christianity > 5 M (going
down)
Articles on History
of C. in 134 nations
7 Nations with the largest Christian
Populations
USA
235.7 M
China
89 M
Mexico
95.2 M
Brazil
155.5 M
Russia
84.3 M
Philip
pines
68.1 M
India
62.3M
History of C. in 134 nations (<0.5
million C.). The next 10 Nations
Nigeria
51.1 M
Germany
62 M
Italy
47 M
Ukrain
e 42M
Franc
e
41.8M
R.D.
Congo
49.5 M
Colom
bia
40M
United
Kingdo
m 48.5
M
Polan
d
38M
Spai
n
37M
Rest of the Nations
with >10 Million Christians
Ethiopia
36 M
Argentin
a
34 M
South
Africa
33.6 M
Indonesia Peru
27.8 M
25 M
Rest of the Nations
with >10 Million Christians
Ethiopia
36 M
Argentin
a
34 M
South
Africa
33.6 M
Indonesia Peru
27.8 M
25 M
Canada
24.7 M
Kenya
23.9 M
Venezuela
22.9 M
Romania
19.8M
South
Korea
19 M
Rest of the Nations
with >10 Million Christians
Ethiopia
36 M
Argentin South
a
Africa
34 M
33.6 M
Indonesia Peru
27.8 M
25 M
Canada
24.7 M
Kenya
23.9 M
Venezuela
22.9 M
Romania
19.8M
South
Korea
19 M
Uganda
19 M
Tanzania
16.9 M
Australia
15 M
Chile
13.6 M
Netherlands
12.7 M
Rest of the Nations
with >10 Million Christians
Ethiopia
36 M
Argentina South
34 M
Africa
33.6 M
Indonesia Peru
27.8 M
25 M
Canada
24.7 M
Kenya
23.9 M
Venezuela
22.9 M
Romania
19.8M
South
Korea
19 M
Uganda
19 M
Tanzania
16.9 M
Australia
15 M
Chile
13.6 M
Netherland
s
12.7 M
Ecuador
12.3 M
Angola
12 M
Ghana
11.2 M
Guatemala
11.1M
Egypt
10.3 M
Christianity & Other Religious
Traditions (from both points of
view)
 African* Religion
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Cluster
Ancestor* Veneration
Cluster
Australian* Aboriginal
Baha’i* Cluster
Buddhism* Cluster
Civil* Religion
Confucianism* Cluster
Daoism* Cluster
Freemasonry*
Hellenistic* Religious
Traditions

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Hinduism* Cluster
Islam* Cluster
Judaism* Cluster
Mithraism*
Mystery* Religions
Native* American
Traditions
New* Age Spirituality
Shamanism*
Shinto*
Sikhism* Cluster
Vodou*
CDC “Christ died for our sins”
Denominational views modified, adjusted,
transformed by Cultures
 It is NOT the same thing to speak of God’s anger in
different cultures:

“God” = common name (NOT a proper name), thus translated
in each language – keeping much of the meaning that “god”
has in the religions in this cultural setting
 It is NOT the same thing to speak of bondage in different
cultures, religious contexts, social contexts


Bondage to evil spirits in “spiritual warfare” vs. bondage to
bad culture vs. Economic, social bondage to poverty
It is NOT the same thing to speak of revolt against God, or
of the need to be transformed/converted in different
cultural, religious, and social contexts

The empowerment to be children of God might be an
empowerment to reject one’s culture or to discover Christ
already at work in one’s cultural setting, transforming it or to
discover Christ already embodied in one’s culture
Being faithful = Acknowledging
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
 = Respecting Brothers and Sisters’ Readings
 Not ignoring them = learning about them and
from them
 Conversation = Dialogue … about a Scriptural
text
 Reading the Bible WITH them is
 Neither reading TO them; nor reading FOR
them:
 demeaning;
 viewing them as stupid, ignorant, “children”
 “viewing them as subalterns”
 We need their DIFFERENT readings to
recognize we have made choices.
Being faithful = Acknowledging
Others
 = Respecting Other People’s Readings
 Reading the Bible WITH them = engaging the
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

conversation in a most concrete and pragmatic way: =
CONTEXTUALLY
Asking them to explain and striving to understand why
they view their chosen interpretations as better
In their concrete social and cultural context?
Because of their religious experience and views?
And explaining ourselves why we view our chosen
interpretations as better – if we still believe it is better, now
that we recognize we have a choice

Not Starting with “scholarly” readings (= seeking to explain and
thus justify a textual choice) soon turn into reading TO
OTHERS … “I know what the text mean, I do not have anything
to learn from you” = you are NOT my brothers and sisters!
“Christ died for our sins/for us”
What is the Word-to-live-by?
 Christ is punished instead of us = Substitution atonement
(especially in Western Countries; issue = MY salvation)

fear of God’s punishment/anger; One Benefits from it “through
rituals” (Catholic) OR “through faith” (Protestant)
 Christ died is a “redemption” = Christ paid the ransom to free
us from bondage (especially in cultures with beliefs in evil
spirits; BUT also Orthodox views – we are sick, need to be
cured – AND liberation theologies - systemic evil )
 Christ’s blood and His Spirit empower us so that we might
have faith (trust God), be born again, give our lives to God,
and serve God through our entire life (especially in societies
where people feel powerless; lack of control over their lives…
[and who does not!?] Need to know that God is in control )