February 6, 2008
Re-reading the Bible
Dear Friends,
In Nagpur, the geographic center of India, church leaders gathered from around the country for four days of Bible study. The purpose was to learn a contextual approach to study the Bible and gain fresh insights. Imagine spending an entire day learning to re-read one passage!
The Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, General Secretary of the Church of North India, opens the “Re-reading the Bible” workshop in Nagpur. The Church of North India has initiated a program called CREEM: Congregational Renewal
for Effective Engagement in Mission. The goal of renewing congregations for effective holistic engagement in mission is a worthy goal for any congregation! Over a three-year period, church leaders from the 25 dioceses in the CREEM program will focus on five areas: fellowship, liturgy, witness, proclamation, and teaching. What could be more central to each of these five areas than the Bible? The program began with an intensive workshop on “Re-reading the Bible.”
The facilitator was Dr. Gerald West, who along with his colleagues, has developed a contextual approach to Bible study. Gerald is on the staff of the Ujamaa Centre for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research, which is part of the School of Religion and Theology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The center emerged in response to the needs of black South Africans, torn by apartheid, who longed to hear God speak. The staff of the Ujamaa Centre have field-tested and developed a series of Bible studies that come out of real life situations and communities of South Africa.
My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; if you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; if you seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasures— then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:1-5
The contextual Bible study process has been described as the “see-judge-act” approach. Any group can utilize the process by first analyzing their own local situation (see). From there, the group moves to the Biblical text to allow it to speak into the context (judge). Then the participants plan a course of action arising from the Bible study (act).
The Rev. Michael Marandi from Jharkhand, India. The best way to learn the process is to do it! In small groups, church leaders from around India went through the basic steps. Over the week, participants learned a lot about themselves and the skills and insights needed to facilitate this kind of process in their own congregations. The workshop trained church leaders to be facilitators for contextual Bible study by giving them firsthand experiences.
We learned that the five basic steps in this process begin with the concerns of the community.
- Identify an issue confronting your community.
- Identify a biblical text that “speaks into” this issue.
- Invite people to question the text by delving into the context behind it, the literary composition of the text, and then ask how the passage speaks into your context today.
- The group articulates and “owns” the text as they hear it speak anew to them.
- Move beyond interpretation to action. The group is empowered by the Word to put what they have learned into action.
Church leaders from the State of Orissa, India. Equipped and challenged to try it out, church leaders trekked back to their own homes to put the Bible into action. Some traveled as many as 28 hours by train before reaching their home.
Please pray for the CREEM program as it continues training church leaders to be equipped and motivated for renewal and transformation. Pray for these leaders, who labor in demanding contexts under tough conditions. Please pray for seeds to be sown in the months ahead.
We give thanks to God for your support and prayers, and humbly ask that you continue.
In Christ’s Service
David, Sue, Mary Hudson
Delhi, India
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