I wanted to share a sentence outline of a book from last year that I shared with an introductory level class. This is NOT so much a review of the work per se as it is a survey of the content to help you know whether or not you might want to pick it up for yourself.
Written
Outline of: Misreading Scripture with
Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible. By
E. Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O’Brien. InterVarsity Press, ©2012.
Written by two authors, who have spent an
appreciable amount of time as missionaries outside of the western cultural
context, this volume attempts to point out what they call “blinders” (presuppositions,
assumptions or bias) that those reared in the Western cultural context hold
that may skew or prevent the Western mind from interpreting or understanding
Scripture correctly.
Using the metaphor of an iceberg they split
the book into three distinct parts: (1) what is “above the surface”; (2) what
is “just below the surface”; (3) what is “deep below the surface.”
Outline:
1) Western bias and suppositions that the authors claim are
“above the surface.”
a)
Mores
in the East and West, how they affect the biblical text and how our
understanding of them affects our interpretation of the biblical text.
i)
Are
we aware of our cultural bias when we come to the biblical text?
ii)
Can
we stop cultural bias from affecting how we read Scripture?
iii)
Diversity
in a pluralistic society—is it helpful for understanding the Bible?
b)
Ethnocentrism
through Western eyes and the inherit problems with race, ethnicity, and gender
in the biblical narratives.
i)
Will
a postmodern, egalitarian, interpretive scheme get us closer to the truth?
ii)
Were
these issues as important back then as they are today?
iii)
Do
these issues prevent us from seeing what scripture is REALLY saying?
c)
Thinking
about linguistics, language, and the need for clarity when reading Scripture.
i)
Is
the West falling short by failing to REALLY comprehend the semantics of
biblical languages?
ii)
If
we know the biblical languages are we still affected by Western bias in our
translations?
iii)
Because
English is vastly different from European (much less Ancient Near Eastern)
languages—have we misinterpreted the bible?
iv)
Has
our language bias forced passages to say things that they were never really
meant to say?
v)
Because
the West typically holds to a “correspondence” view of language and reality can
we REALLY talk about biblical reality based on non-biblical (Western)
interpretations?
vi)
Is
this work merely a postmodern “language game” intended to redact or revise
scripture based on a specific cultural ethos?
2) Western bias and suppositions that the authors claim are
“just below the surface.”
a)
Community:
Western social individualism and the concept of collectivity.
i)
Sociological
perspectives on the bible and how interpretations vary based on cultures.
ii)
Has
the “radical individualism” of the West caused us to miss important truths in
Scripture?
(1)
Does
Western individualism taint the narrative model of Scripture?
(2)
What
underlying sociological assumptions drive our individualism?
(3)
Is
it possible to overcome this particular bias?
iii)
The
Church as a sociological union—the concept of community is more than a
collection of individuals.
iv)
Is
there too much “me” in my interpretations?
v)
Can
the West ever grasp the depth of collective intimacy that the bible
presupposes?
b)
How
does the “Honor/Shame” concept affect the Eastern and Nomadic cultures
presupposed in the biblical narratives?
i)
Does
the “honor/shame” concept influence Western notions of morality and ethics?
ii)
Individual
responsibility to the concepts of right and wrong and the collective societies’
notion of shame and honor color the biblical texts: How? Why? Can the West grasp
this concept which appears beyond the grasp of their rugged individual ethic?
iii)
How
does language and semantics affect the Western understanding of the concepts of
shame and honor?
iv)
In
light of the shame/honor information how should our interpretations change?
(1)
Does
the shame/honor model call for a reinvention of the Western conception of
morality?
(2)
How
do we in the West live now IF this model should change our presuppositions?
c)
The
concept of time in the East and West and how it influences biblical interpretations.
i)
Time
as a linear measurement of past, present, and future: a Western idiom?
ii)
Has
sociological individualism made us a slave to our clocks and calendars?
iii)
How
has our assumptions about time (past, present, and future) affected our
understanding of various biblical passages?
iv)
Two
biblical terms for time: kiaros and chromos—what they mean and why they are
important?
(1)
Which
“kind” of time are we living for kiaros or chronos?
(2)
Is
the bible more about chronos or kiaros—why does it matter?
3) Western bias and suppositions that the authors claim are
“deep below the surface.”
a)
What
is more important in life and interpretation: rules or relationships?
i)
How
science and the Enlightenment shifted our focus away from relationships to
objective truths that are scientifically verifiable.
ii)
How
and why are relationships more important than rules?
iii)
Do
rules undermine relationships?
iv)
Is
this based on the community vs. individual society?
v)
Are
both relationships and rules of value to a society?
vi)
Can
we actually live without either of these as a society?
vii)
How
does our understanding of these concepts change our perceptions about biblical
interpretation?
(1)
The
OT as a rule driven but relationship valued example.
(2)
The
NT as a relationship driven but rule valued example.
b)
The
concepts of virtue and vice in life and scripture.
i)
Which
should we pursue?
ii)
How
does our pursuit of these in our life presuppose how we come to the biblical
text?
iii)
Making
interpretive assumptions and priorities based on both virtue and vice on our
lives.
c)
Finding
the center: seeking God in the midst of a world that promotes Self.
i)
Understanding
why Self is not all it has cracked up to be.
ii)
Why
the Self influences our biblical reading.
iii)
Finding
ourselves amidst the social construction of reality.
iv)
God
and the Self—is there any hope?
(1)
How
the Self completely changes the way we come to SOME texts in scripture.
(2)
The
Bible, oddly enough, is NOT about me and me alone as an individual!
(3)
Understanding
how we got where we are in light of biblical interpretation and the Self.
(4)
How
might our views change if we REALLY understood that not every text will speak
to me directly?
4)
Conclusion: three steps for removing cultural blinders.
a)
A
disappointment: it is NEVER as easy as three steps!
i)
Embrace
the complexity of scripture, culture, and self.
ii)
Beware
of overcorrecting in light of this complexity—not everything needs to change.
iii)
Be
teachable—it is never too late for “old dogs to learn new tricks.”
iv)
Embrace
error—don’t see being wrong as failure—sometimes we learn best when we learn by
trial and error.
v)
Read
together—a way to overcome Western individualism is to understand the community
context and practice it—two (or three or four) heads are better than one!
