BISAM Project 2009 - 2011

The collaborative project of the BISAM Study Group (until we tune into the theme of the upcoming IAMS Assembly in Toronto in 2012) is: Bible, Nation and Empire: The use of the bible by scholars and by local congregations.

May 2010 Update: Bible, Nation, Empire

While a few other papers have been promised, by the end of May 2010 the following essays had been received:

Eric Nii Boertey Anum, Payment of Taxes to Empires and Governments: The Matthean and Abokobi Communities (Matthew 22: 15-22). (Ghana)

Dario Barolin, Practices of Justice. (Argentina)

D. Paul Dalzell, Commending the Good News: Toward a Shared Praxis of Faith beyond Structure and Content. (Two parts) (Australia)

Susan M. Kilonzo & Christopher K. Rutto, Conversation with the bible on Living Dead in relation to Necromancy and Transfiguration: The Case of Nandi in Kenya. (Kenya)

Johannes Nissen, Creating a Space for the Others. The Minorities as a Challenge to Church and State. (Denmark)

Verónica Pérez, Lectura de la Biblia en contexto Zona popular de Guatemala. (Guatemala)

Next Step

The above papers are circulating among the contributors for comments and suggestions. Revised papers will then be considered for publication.

Rationale: Bible, Nation, Empire

“Bible, Nation, Empire”
A key theme throughout the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures is that of “nation/ community-building”, first by the pre-exilic Hebrews and post-exilic Judeans, and then by the Judean and Hellenistic Apostolic Communities. In biblical times community/nation formation took place within the context of a succession of oppressive empires.

Today at local, regional and global levels we are working to rediscover and recreate community as some nations are merging into larger blocs and others seem to be systemically failing, all this happening within the tentacles of a global economic and political “empire”.

Nurturing faith communities among the nations is central to mission (Mt 28:18-20) and takes place within the context of globalised empirical power.

How does the nurturing of faith communities relate to “nations” and “empire” - both in the bible (pre-exilic, post-exilic, apostolic) and in our contemporary contexts (within both ‘powerful’ and ‘powerless’ environments)?

How do we understand specific biblical texts within their own nation/empire contexts in the light of our own nation/empire contexts?

How is nation/community building being interpreted, for instance:
Where religion is generally excluded from the public sphere?
Where civic society is extremely weak?
Where communal violence is rife?
Where Christians are a minority/majority?
Which biblical epochs or books speak to each of these situations?

“The Use of the Bible by Scholars”
The bible is interpreted professionally by scholars from a wide spectrum of disciplines who are themselves embedded in a variety of cultural, economic and political contexts.

What specifics are determining our academic understanding of the bible regarding “nation” and “empire”?

How are biblical texts relevant to the theme interpreted in art?

Not only do biblical books give different understandings of “nation” and “empire” depending upon the perspective of the author/s and the situation/ epoch they faced, but also this scriptural theme has been interpreted differently throughout Christian history: early church, middle ages, reformation, the enlightenment and post-enlightenment.

How does a particular biblically-inspired interpretation of “nation” and “empire” in the past enlighten a contemporary context?

“The Use of the Bible by Congregations”
The Christian community is a hermeneutical community. The way “ordinary” Christians, women and men, understand and live the bible is decisive for mission.

How is a specific use/reading of the bible by a local community influencing their stance towards the “nation” and the “empire” today?

How are “intuitive” understandings of the bible of “nation” and “empire” challenging scholarly interpretations?

How are we using the bible among “faith seekers”, among those exploring religious options?

How does a specific community (long-term prisoners, a Human Rights NGO, a land reform movement, a culturally-mixed congregation, a group of faith-seekers) understand “nation” and “empire” both within their social context and in the bible?

Some countries today are torn by communal strife, even a collapse of civil society.

How do specific congregations understand “nation” and “empire” in these contexts?

Some countries today are multi-cultural and multi-religious where Christians form numerical minorities perhaps largely embedded within an ethnic minority.

How are congregations understanding “nation” and “empire” in this context?
How is the majority religion (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Secularism …) influencing our reading of the text?

Focus

The theme of the BISAM project is “nation” and “empire”, with the focus on the differing/contrasting uses people (both scholars and congregations are making of the bible.

Do our interpretations of the text, and therefore of mission, tend to be:

more individual than communal?
more reassuring than challenging?

In which contexts is the bible forming a counter-cultural community?

In which contexts is the bible identifying the Christian community with the wider “nation” and “empire” where they live?

Timeline

January 2009

The project was approved at the January IAMS executive meeting.

Lent 2009 – Easter 2010

Individual bible and mission scholars and/or local teams of scholars develop an aspect of the theme through researching scholarly work and/or surveying specific local contexts. It is very much hoped that the theme will be taken up by both scholars and by local congregations/grassroots movements.

Those deciding to participate inform the BISAM convener of the study they are planning to undertake. The convener informs others of the projects to make collaboration possible where desirable and to encourage those in other contexts to take up parallel studies.

Pentecost 2010

Papers and reports of the studies are circulated among the contributors for critical comments and suggestions.

May - July 2010

Members of the BISAM network react to the papers/studies/surveys. The aim of the responses is to highlight different/contrasting approaches to (uses of) the biblical text by scholars and by local congregations, and also how those from different social, cultural and gender backgrounds have “read” the bible. These responses/analyses are then circulated.

August - December 2010

A number of BISAM members are asked to comment on the papers and responses drawing out contrasting uses being made of the bible and what this implies for inter-cultural and inter-disciplinary studies of the bible in mission.

Next Year: 2011

A selection of the papers and responses with concluding comments to be published in an appropriate journal such as Mission Studies.

Style: Papers should follow the house style of Mission Studies.

Budget

The BISAM convener, scholars and local groups finance their own part in the project.

SOME PREVIOUS PROJECTS

The theme of bible and mission in today’s multi-cultural global context was published as To Cast Fire upon the Earth (ed. Teresa Okure, Cluster Publications, 2000) after the Buenos Aires Assembly of 1996.

Eleven missiological readings of Wisdom, Matthew & Colosians with an introductory editorial, were published in International Review of Mission (XCI No.360, January 2002) after the Pretoria Assembly of 2000.

Six biblical studies from six countries (three women, three men) on “Power and the Other”, with a concluding editorial, were published in Mission Studies (23/1, 2006) after the Port Dickson Assembly of 2004.

Three papers read during the Balaton Assembly of 2008 on the theme of Identity and Reconciliation will be published together with other papers of the assembly in 2009 and 2010 editions of Mission Studies.