3/04/2007

Scripture and the Global South: A new perspective.

Michael Nai-Chiu Poon has published a remarkable article on the Global South web pages. Titled, "The Ways of Obedience: Scripture and Global South," Poon's article proposes that, "until the Word grips the imagination and intellect, life is not truly transformed. And unless the present-day Christian communities are able to inherit the theological questions and histories of Biblical interpretation of their forebears and those around the world, they abstract themselves from the God’s purposes for the Communion of Saints."

He ends by challenging the churches of the Global South, and indeed all of us, by asking, "What has the profession “We believe the Holy Scriptures as containing all things necessary for salvation and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith” produced in our ecclesial and national life? We can do well by asking the Provinces: How has the Word shaped your churches and your nations? Our submission to God’s Word is proved by the fruit: that the Word so shape our communal life that it becomes a new vision of social life for the present world."

This is an important addition to the desire to move the discussion of the understanding of the role of Holy Scripture to a new level, one that takes seriously the transformation that comes from "on the ground" experience of its power in life.

Rather than chop more from the essay, I suggest you read it. It is challenging and inviting.

1 comment:

  1. Greetings

    I'm not expecting you to publish this comment - but I cannot see a way to email you.

    Catherine of http://come-to-the-table.blogspot.com recommended your site to me with the suggestion that you might like to visit my site and link to it.
    My site is at www.liturgy.co.nz
    It focuses on providing resources for liturgy and spirituality. You would get an idea of the "flavour" of what it offers by visiting http://www.liturgy.co.nz/html/collect573b.html and http://www.liturgy.co.nz/html/collectlent2.html. If you decide to place a link from your site to mine, I provide HTML code for this in my next paragraph. If you place such a link, please would you let me know as I acknowledge this on my site and link back.

    Liturgy: Christian worship & spirituality - serving individuals and communities seeking to have worship and spirituality that is vital, transforming, and faithful.

    God bless your Lent and your mission and ministry on the web

    Bosco Peters


    www.liturgy.co.nz

    bpeters@liturgy.co.nz

    ReplyDelete

OK... Comments, gripes, etc welcomed, but with some cautions and one rule:
Cautions: Calling people fools, idiots, etc, will be reason to bounce your comment. Keeping in mind that in the struggles it is difficult enough to try to respect opponents, we should at least try.

Rule: PLEASE DO NOT SIGN OFF AS ANONYMOUS: BEGIN OR END THE MESSAGE WITH A NAME - ANY NAME. ANONYMOUS commentary will be cut.