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Wiki Commons by Denis KasoziiMore questions for the Bible
I have found it valuable to imagine a positive response to a passage in the life of a church I don’t know, as well as one that I do know, and to express that response in different ways.
Imagine a Christian community responding
- Picture a Christian community in the UK responding to PASSAGE, in the voice of NOVELIST, describe what it would be like to belong to a community that responds positively to PASSAGE, tell me about their relationships with God and each other, and with their neighbours.
It is helpful to think about what it is like to respond to a passage in a very different, and sometimes difficult, cultural and political context.
Responses to scripture from other cultures and contexts
- How did Christians in earlier centuries respond to PASSAGE in ways that surprise or shock us today? How do Christians around the world today respond to this passage? What do Christians in Ethiopia, Chile, and Malaysia see in this passage that we miss when we read the passage in the West?
A new approach for me involves drafting a letter to a congregation in the voice of the surrounding culture, explaining why it is no longer suitable to believe and respond positively to what the passage is saying and seeking.
Imagine the voice of the world seeking to persuade the church to become secular
- Imagine a secular voice in today’s culture (in UK and in Ethiopia) speaking to God’s people, urging not to listen to PASSAGE, but to listen instead to the voices that encourage them to leave behind these ancient ways of thinking about themselves, and to adopt a secular anthropology. UK English spelling. Write a persuasive letter for the UK and another for Ethiopia. “Dear Christian friends”
Conversations over coffee sometimes stay on the surface for good reasons, but there are times they can go deeper.
Voice of someone in a church encouraging friends to respond positively
- Imagine the voice of someone in a church in LONDON and ADDIS ABABA, responding positively to PASSAGE, and wanting to encourage their friends to do the same. What aspects of the passage could he or she deploy to encourage a positive response? Write something that would be suitable to discuss over coffee after a church serve.
It’s easy to forget this question.
Challenges for the preacher
- What challenges does this passage present for a preacher in LONDON and ADDIS ABABA today? How are the challenges different in these two cities? What common misinterpretations are there that involve PASSAGE? What words or ideas within PASSAGE need to be carefully explained? What ideas within PASSAGE need to be set alongside other Bible teaching to avoid misunderstanding?
More to come from time to time.