The Bible – both Old and New Testament – are held in the highest regard by every expression of Christianity. Here, we create space for a deeper discussion and debate around the way in which we understand and interpret the Biblical texts and, as part of that journey, who we understand God to be.
Scripture is the vital life blood of Christian life. But we know that through the centuries various Biblical texts have been read to justify some of the most inhumane, brutal and repressive episodes in human history: to sanction inquisitions and the torture of hundreds of thousands of those of other faiths; to denounce Copernicus’ and Galileo’s breakthrough in understanding of the cosmos; to approve witch-hunts across Europe and North America, which saw tens of thousands of innocent women slaughtered in the name of God; to portray African people as cursed by God and therefore justify the enslavement of millions; to legitimise apartheid and anti-Semitism. And still today, to condone the death penalty, to keep women subservient to men, to incite Islamophobia, to insist on a ‘young earth’ – antiscientific – six day understanding of creation, to oppress gay people and to abuse the environment.
To understand and reconcile how we best interpret the whole of scripture requires us to ask deep, open and honest questions. The Bible is far too important for us not to have this discussion.