Focus on the Bible Central to 500th Reformation Anniversary
NAIROBI, Kenya/GENEVA, 16 September 2011 (LWI) – Lutheran theologians from around the world meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 9-14 September, agreed that the best approach for interpreting Scripture is to be open and critical of the interpreter as well as the biblical texts.
Meeting for the first in a series of biblical consultations under the theme, “The Word of God in the Scriptures as Shared Space: Towards a Contemporary Hermeneutics for the Lutheran Communion,” they noted that such an approach is true to Lutheran heritage, which underscores salvation through Jesus Christ and justification by faith alone.
The initial consultation, organized by the Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), focused on the Gospel of John. The participants came from various disciplines, including biblical, practical, ethical, systematic and feminist theology.
Scripture Comes First
Presenting an “Introduction to Lutheran Hermeneutics,” Rev. Dr Hans-Peter Grosshans, professor of systematic and ecumenical theology at the University of Münster, Germany, said, that while the church lived from the Word of God contained in Holy Scripture, “Scripture needs faithful and creative interpretation.”
Grosshans added: “Sometimes interpreters do not respect the biblical material in its entirety; hence, they relegate the Holy Scripture to a cafeteria by choosing parts that are appealing and leaving those which they cannot make sense of.”
He said that globally, in the Lutheran churches, “Scripture is a common point of reference” and should “always be considered in the life of Lutheran churches. Furthermore, the various contemporary contexts should be paid attention to.” Grosshans added that to avoid confusion “there is the need to put Scripture first and not contemporary contexts.”
Grosshans said he believed that in light of today’s technological developments the best ways to mediate Scripture were by word of mouth and through text and images using computers, the internet, mobile phones and electronic books.
He explained that Luther believed that the best way of mediating Scripture was orally, since faith “comes by hearing.”
In his presentation, “Exploring Effective Context,” Rev. Dr Vitor Westhelle from Brazil, professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, USA, underlined the fact that the meaning of a text changed depending on the reader’s setting or the circumstances under which it is read.
Westhelle pointed out that when reading the Bible, Christians must not only recognize its relevance to their lives, but also allow it to change them. Christians must not simply buy into everything said by others.
In an interview after his presentation, Westhelle commended the idea of convening the initial consultation that has attracted people from around the world who “show different ways of reading the Bible and that the way of reading Luther is also changing.”
Jesus’ Words Give Life
Rev. Dr Craig R. Koester, professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary, St Paul, Minnesota, USA, pointed out that the Gospel of John paid more attention to what Jesus said than to his actions and signs, and that Luther had affirmed that “the works do not help me, but his words are what give life.”
Dr Eve-Marie Becker, who teaches biblical studies in the Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Denmark, said Rudolf Bultmann, a prominent successor of Luther’s theology in the field of New Testament, had emphasized Christology and downplayed mythology in response to his own context of modernity.
Bultmann (1885-1976), a German theologian of Lutheran background and professor of New Testament studies at the University of Marburg for three decades, defined an almost complete split between history and faith, called demythology, arguing that only Christ crucified was necessary for the Christian faith.
Referring to the important discussions on issues such as Christology, Rev. Dr Prasuna Gnana Nevala, of the South Andhra Lutheran Church in India, stressed the need to discover the Bible’s relevance in the face of oppression and the persecution of Christians, women and people of lower caste.
Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, LWF study secretary for Lutheran Theology and Practice at DTS, said the aim of the consultation was to revive the focus on the Bible as a book for the church and the shaper of many world cultures, making it central to the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017.
Mtata stressed that the LWF also sought to deepen its identity as a communion of churches by building unity through study, cooperation, discussion and common witness. (746 words)
(Written for LWI by Elizabeth Lobulu, communication coordinator of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania)
More from the Consultation | The Bible and 2017 Reformation Commemoration
See also:
- Biblical Interpretation Must Be Relevant to Issues Facing People
- Lutheran Theologians Call for Critical Engagement with, Countering of Fundamentalism
- Addressing People’s Needs
- The Bible and 2017 Reformation Commemoration
- Acting on the Biblical Call for Justice
- Reading the Bible Together to Strengthen Communion
- LWF General Secretary Junge Underlines Urgent Priorities
- Contemporary Lutheran Hermeneutics for the Life of the Church
- Bringing About Contextual Change
- Augsburg Mayor Welcomes Participants at LWF International Consultation
