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6-Bible and Postmodern Context (2).pptx

This document discusses interpreting the Bible in postmodern contexts. It provides a reading list on this topic and then covers several key aspects of postmodern biblical interpretation. These include viewing the Bible from God's perspective; the relationship between the Bible, history, and reality; structuralist approaches; and postmodern readings that focus on meanings constructed between texts and readers rather than meanings within texts. The document then discusses how this relates to mission and provides biblical examples of movements from particular to universal. It also notes tensions and counter-movements within the Bible and addresses postmodern spirituality. Finally, it explores how postmodern biblical interpretation can inform mission responses to various global issues.

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Reading the Bible in Postmodern Contexts and Concepts Joshva Raja Session 6.
Reading list  Richard Bauckham Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World.  Cumbria: Paternoster Press. 2003. pp.83-110  J Richard Middleton & Brian J W Trugh is Stranger…pp.85-142.  The Bible and Culture Collective (George Aichele et el) The Postmodern Bible. Yale  University Press. 1997.  A K M Adam Postmodern Interpretation of the Bible: A Reader Chalice Press, 2000.  David Jobling, Tina Pippin, Ronald Schleifer (ed) The Postmodern Bible Reader  Oxford: Blackwell, 2001.
Interpreting the Bible from God’s viewpoint  Bible – The Word of God = Logos? Bible Logos
Historical Question Bible History Reality
Structuralists  Universal Meaning Meaning within the Structure Universal Structure and meaning
Postmodern reading Text Meanings with people not with text texts texts
Bible and Mission  Richard Bauckham (sub title - Christian Witness in the Postmodern World)  9/11 as clash between Global economic liberalism and the Fundamentalism  God is universal Religion is particular?  Bible embodies a movement from particular to Universal
Mission as Hermeneutics  Particular to Universal a. temporal from creation to eschatological –Mission is a movement into a future b. spatial from one place to another place – mission is a movement into new horizons c. people from person to person and from people to people – mission is a movement to new people. (Bauckham)
Examples  Parable of the Seed – Mark 4:26-29 – Growing from seed to harvest – eschatological  Parable of the Mustard seed – Mark 4:30- 33  From one to Many – Abraham  From Israel to all nations  To all by the way of least
Theologies in the Bible!  Adonai/Elohim a Universal God or God of Israel De 4:35 You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.  De 4:39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.  God diversifies and includes all? Isa 19:19Isa 19:25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.  God is God of particular as well
Movements and Counter movements in Bible  Temple and Tent Movements  Priesthood to Anti-priest movements  Monarchy to Counter movements  Jerusalem centred to Samaria and North
Sin in the Bible  Centralisation  Power orientation  Self centred  Materialism  Homogenising  Absolutizing  Judging  Not responding
Postmodern Spirituality  Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead, The Spiritual revolution,  ‘Life as’ Spirituality to ‘subjective-life’ spirituality  Life as (wife, daughter, teacher and so on)  Subjective life not lived for others’ expectations but to lived to satisfy one’s own self’s needs, desires, relationships…
Antitotalizing Biblical Metanarrative  J Richard Middleton and B J Walsh  Biblical Narrative (p88ff) – Christian story works against totalization!  Two main cases are: 1. Radical sensitivity to suffering that pervades the biblical narrative from the exodus to the cross 2.God’s overarching creational intent that delegitimates any narrow partisan use of the story
Atitotalising Mission of Jesus  Be Holy as I am holy (Lev 19:2)  Be merciful as I am Merciful (Lk 6:36)  Jesus says love your enemies (Mt 5:43-44)  Jesus declared temple as a den of robbers (Mt 11:17)  Jesus movement as counter movement culmination at the cross
Global Issues and Mission response  Progress attitude – Ecological disaster – Mission response is to develop an Ecological awareness through a theological importance (Ecotheology as Mission response?)  Modernization, liberalzation and human attainment elminate poverty – no mind to share resources – a theology of liberation of the poor! – Let my people go! - Making poverty as History – A Mission response?
Global Issues and Mission 2  Modernisation enable people to murder Female foeticide through scanners – Abuse of Women are prevalent in the Modernised society – Mission is to provide space for women to raise their voices – feminist theology helps?! As mission?  Modernised people are to supposed to respect their own and other’s human dignity but now more distinctions, more discrimination, more exploitation in the name of colour, race, caste and so on… rationally justified at times – Black theologies and Dalit theologies as expression of mission today
Global Issues and Mission 3  Modernised religion is supposed to establish a better understanding between religions but brought clashes of civilisations and religions and raised fundamentalists – Dialogue between different cultural and religious communities as mission  Technology and Media are agents of Modernisation and human development but they help people to conduct war from rooms and kill people’s lives as a cowboy game! – Prophetic engagement with the use of media and technology as mission
Global issues and Mission  Neo-Liberalism has made life as a package and product to be sold and purchased – Life has become less than money – It has become the only sole narrative of the world – Alternative communities and Alternative world orders such as World Social forum and their voices as mission?!  Non-proactive Invovlement and ignorance of these issues within the churches alienates them from doing mission in the contemporary world – discussing non- real issues as primary issues can distract our attention to ignore threatening issues stated above