Church must Interrogate its reading of the Bible – Dr. Anderson

Dr. Cheryl Anderson, Professor at Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Illinois, USA has urged the Church to interrogate its traditional reading of the bible and develop new ways of reading it in the context of HIV and AIDS.

She was speaking at a seminar organised by the United States Consulate General in partnership with the Diakonia Council of Churches, on 18 August.

Dr Anderson said the Church must abandon its traditional interpretation and come up with another perspective and alternative theological framework on the bible and HIV and AIDS.

The traditional ABC approach to HIV and AIDS, she said, has largely been unsuccessful and proposed a theological framework that takes into account what is rather than what ought to be.

"ABC does not address what people are doing, but what people ought to be doing. It also implies that C is a failure, that is, people who use condoms have failed to abstain and to be faithful", Dr Anderson said.

She advocated for ‘Inclusive biblical interpretation', that is, interpretation that takes into account the realities and perspectives of the marginalised and the excluded, and the consequences of traditional interpretations on those groups.

Dr Anderson said the marginalised and the excluded must be at the centre of any biblical interpretation. The Old Testament prophets, Jesus himself and later Paul, all considered the impact of an interpretation of their traditions and scriptures on the marginalised, she said.

Any biblical interpretation, she said, must identify the absolute requirement of God. Love of neighbour, Dr Anderson said, is what God requires, and on it hang all the law and prophets.

She took a swipe at the popular fundamentalist interpretation of the bible which views the biblical text as consisting of writings that were inspired by God, if not actually dictated by God, word for word, and so making the community of faith accept all its contents as they are.

Rather, Dr Anderson proposed a view of biblical interpretation which understands creating scripture as a human activity that takes place within communities of faith.

"The bible is inherently the live word of God which recognises that it is divine communication that has been refracted through many different authors who wrote from their own circumstances. Biblical authority is exercised in community rather than over it, and the community of faith's participation is called for rather than its submission. Biblical interpretation is contextual and necessarily influenced by the human beings who do it", she said.

(Press Release by the Diakonia Council of Churches and used by permission.Visit them at www.diakonia.org.za.)