Opposition to Bible engagement …
Why do some people think the Bible isn’t relevant?
Many people reject the Bible because they distrust it. The reason why they distrust the Bible is because they do not believe in metanarratives*. Distrust in metanarratives has arguably done more to alienate people from the Bible than any other aspect associated with culture.
In an online survey inviting feedback on why people think the Bible is not relevant, some of the remarks were: “The Bible is one gigantic anachronism,” “It’s a book – nothing more!” “It cannot be accepted as a reliable document,” “It reflects a worldview out of date with scientific advances,” and “There is more than one holy book, more than one religion.” [Source: June/July 2009 online survey conducted by SGM Canada with 66 Canadian humanists, atheists and agnostics]
Coupled with the distrust that people have for the Bible is the popular notion that there are no absolutes and no objective or exclusive truth. There is also the view that reality is unknowable, language does not convey reality, and everything is, therefore, open to the interpretation and perspective of the individual. As a direct and indirect result of these ideas, many people have typically adopted pluralism and multiculturalism. The outcome of adopting pluralism and multiculturalism has been elevating tolerance as a prime social norm.
Popular culture in conflict with the Christian faith.
Distrust in metanarratives places popular culture in direct conflict with the Christian faith. The clash is fiercest over the Christian belief that the Bible is truth (the belief that the Bible is truth because it agrees with God, who is absolute, and describes who He is – the Truth). Based on the conviction that the Bible is truth, Christians believe that the Bible is authoritative. This explains in part why, when Christians try to gain an audience for Bible engagement, they are labelled as intolerant, ignorant or arrogant.
How is the church responding to the opposition to Bible engagement?
How is the church responding to the opposition to Bible engagement? More importantly, how is the church reaching out to people who are alienated or in conflict with the Bible? Some elements of the church (Conservative Catholics, Conservative Evangelicals and Fundamentalists) adopt a defensive attitude (isolate/insulate themselves) or go on the offensive by working hard to make the Bible available and accessible (mainly using approaches developed more than 50 years ago). Making the Bible available has not helped stem the decline in Bible engagement. Other elements of the church (Liberal Protestants and Liberal Catholics) are generally not concerned. They have little interest in functioning as conduits for Bible engagement and do next to nothing to promote the Bible or invite interaction with it. In practice, they accommodate popular culture by favouring broad humanism and acquiescing to the deconstruction of the Bible.
Contextualizing the Bible in meaningful ways.
So, is there any hope for Bible engagement? Yes! There are elements of the church (mainly Evangelicals) attempting to creatively re-imagine and critically re-form their faith and practice around what Marcus Borg describes as a “transformation-centered paradigm”. Within this paradigm, Christians are re-conceiving, articulating and embodying the Story in contextually meaningful ways.
This includes efforts to restore the message of the Bible (e.g. SU Canada’s theStory™), invitations to read the Bible as a narrative of faith (e.g. SU Canada’s free e-book – Taste and See: An Invitation to Read the Bible), re-imagining language and relationships (e.g. SGM Canada encourages the development of relationships and companionship as the primary catalyst for Bible engagement), and inviting people to participate and enter into conversations/dialogue with the narrative of the Story in communal and inclusive forums. Added to this is the understanding that our invitations to engage with the Bible will be fruitless if we attempt anything without grace, vulnerability and humility.
*Metanarratives are defined as narratives about narratives that give a totalizing, comprehensive account of various historical events, experiences, and social and cultural phenomena based upon the appeal to universal truth and values.
Share your opinion. What’s your perspective on the opposition to Bible engagement?
Related Articles
Bible Engagement in the Public Square
Summary
Many people reject the Bible because they distrust it, often due to a rejection of metanarratives, which has led to the belief that there are no objective truths. A culture that embraces pluralism and multiculturalism compounds this distrust by elevating tolerance over absolute truth. Popular culture clashes with the Christian belief in the Bible as the ultimate truth, causing others to label Christians as intolerant or arrogant when they advocate for Bible engagement. In response, some parts of the church are working to creatively re-contextualize and promote the Bible, fostering conversations and relationships that invite people to engage with its message in meaningful, inclusive ways.
© Scripture Union Canada
