Silver's Commentaries on Law, Christianity and Political Philosophy

This journal entry seeks to answer two fundamental questions on Biblical interpretation. 1. Are all educated people capable of reading and interpreting the Bible? 2. Is it possible for the Bible to do more harm than good within a political culture? On the former, I would answer in the affirmative that all educated people are capable of reading the Bible. This is obvious and not so much disputed that a person who has attained a substantial level of formal education is ordinarily acquainted with the basics of grammar and literacy acumen. However, not everyone who can read the Bible can interpret it. Just like other technical books like Constitutions and statutes, the Bible has its own canons, maxims or rules of interpretation for instance, the rule of context. The Bible [God’s word in human words] was written within specific contexts. A live example Leviticus is believed to have been written within the Israelite cultural context, highlighting their culture, norms, traditions and beliefs. Therefore, it would take someone knowledgeable about the Jewish culture, and elements of ‘’theocracy’’, food, traditions, and rituals, Jewish festivities and seasons to contextualize the message. A literal interpretation without proper context may be misleading. My second submission is about the biblical canon of interpretation with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is described as “Truth” in John’s gospel, and all scripture is spirit breathed and inspired to teach, counsel, rebuke and train in righteousness (2Timothy 3:16). Therefore, the guidance of the Holy Spirit in indispensable in Biblical interpretation, and not every educated person has the Holy Spirit to guide them in discovering the truth of God’s Kingdom and will for His people, or word. The rule of “genre judgment” may also be too far more complicated for the less sophisticated reader. The Bible, without doubt, covers so many broad areas-ranging from historical books, poetic books, gospels, epistles and so on. All these books involve many technical aspects which need a more articulate and informed approach in regard to interpretation. For instance, the book of Song of Songs, on the surface may appear like a romantic love story of prose and anthology of a couple deeply in love, and yet it can be interpreted as the relationship between God and Israel or Christ and his church (the body of Christians) In a nutshell, the context of the Scripture in question matters a great deal in interpretation. Whereas most people are more concerned with the narrow/immediate context, the broader context is in my humble opinion more important. Just like no single Constitutional provision (in Law) should be interpreted so as to conflict with the other provisions, no single scriptural verse, or book should be interpreted in a manner that waters down the other teachings. The second question is a trickier one! But I will proceed and argue that the Bible [book] per se is incapable of doing more harm than good within a political culture, but rather, it is the misuse of the misinterpretation of the Bible that can ruin, and tear apart a given society or nation. It is how we read the Bible, interpret it and the beliefs we hold from what is preached or “mispreached” to a given polity that can cause harm, injury and turn humans into heartless vultures or obedient and conformist stooges! Researcher, author and socio-political commentator Sussannah Heschel, in her book, “The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany’’ takes us (readers) through a very macabre journey of how “poisonous theology” and propaganda were used by the Nazi regime in Germany to play out the scenes of what remains as one of the darkest chapters in the history of mankind, and on the conscience of the world. “Positive Christianity”, as practiced by the Nazi tyrants advocated for militant approach towards the Jews and Hitler (and his compatriots) was willing to exterminate them basing on his false and stage-managed anti-Jew propaganda based on Biblical (mis)interpretation and distortion. In another striking example from apartheid-era South Africa, David Paton in “Church and race in South Africa”, documents how some churches prompted racism through misinterpreted Biblical doctrine-some portraying God as “white” and the devil as “black” representing the respective races! In Uganda’s political and religious circles, depending on interpretation, the “Kill the Gays” (Anti-Homosexuality) Bill has attracted numerous debates. Supporters of the Bill think, and interpret the Bible based on “God’s original plan” of man having sex with woman in Genesis, while those against it support their assertions based on “God’s love” for the sinners, and His willingness to send his only beloved son to die for us on the cross. However, on a positive note, there are instances where proper interpretation (in accordance with God’s will) has mended fences. For example, teachings and proper interpretations on Love, tolerance, reconciliation and justice led to many reforms in Apartheid era South Africa. Through such just, fair and equitable interpretations, the Church is said to have united people from different races into a common faith with the same anti-racist beliefs. Some of these people were later instrumental in the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee that was set up to set motion for social justice and progress of South Africa. By and large, whereas it is true that it is possible for the Bible to be (mis)used to do more harm than good within a political context (just like in racism, apartheid, Nazism, Colonialism, Homophobia, and so on), it can also be an instrument of peace, justice, reconciliation and social progress once supplied with the proper interpretation devoid of extremism and opportunistic misinterpretation.