wfn.org | Theologians Launch Study on Bible Authority in Lutheran

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank_Imhoff@elca.org>]

Theologians Launch Study on Bible Authority in Lutheran Churches 
Failure to Deal with Emerging Tensions Could Threaten Communion's Coherence

CARTIGNY, Switzerland, 15 October 2004 (LWI) - "I take joy when Scripture
contradicts itself, because this indicates that God's truth is far more
complicated than my truth. If we use it to make life easy, we betray how
Scripture makes truth work." These remarks by Prof. Diane Jacobson, were
among insights shared at the first meeting of a Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) study team on the "Authority of the Bible in the Life of the Church." 

"Our imagination and our lives are transformed as we read Scripture
carefully, closely and critically, as part of a faithful community,"
Jacobson, who teaches Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St Paul, Minnesota,
USA, told participants in the September 30*October 3 meeting convened by the
LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) in Cartigny, near Geneva. 

The team coordinator Rev. Dr Reinhard Boettcher, DTS Study Secretary for
Theology and the Church, expressed the hope that the group would work through
the study subject in creative ways that were biblically faithful, consistent
with the Lutheran confessions, contextually relevant, and accessible for
people today. 

The participants' diverse backgrounds were readily apparent throughout the
discussions. Rev. Alexander Priloutskji, general secretary of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Ingria in Russia, described his church's commitment to the
Bible as the inspired, unchanging Word of God in the pervasively Orthodox
milieu of Russia. 

Rev. Dr Wilfred John, lecturer of Systematic Theology at Sabah Theological
Seminary, Malaysia, said the multi-faith and charismatic or Pentecostal
challenges were significant in defining the churches' approach to presenting
the Bible as authoritative. Although the Bible has over the centuries helped
to shape Swedish society, it was difficult to ascertain how definitive it was
for people today, according to Rev. Permilla Parenmalm, from the Uppsala
Institute for Diaconal and Social Studies.

The power relations reflected in a text * the author's intended meaning and
interpretation by those receiving it * were key concerns for Rev. Dr Elelwani
Farisani, lecturer in Old Testament Studies at the University of
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Referring to how the Bible was used to
support apartheid, Farisani said, "When you are using the text to oppress me,
you are abusing the text."

Rev. Dr Mercedes Garcia Bachmann, dean and lecturer in Old Testament Studies
at ISEDET, an ecumenical theological school in Buenos Aires, Argentina
insisted, "We must challenge biblical texts when they serve oppressive
purposes, when they are used to demean women, Indigenous People or any other
group." Prof. Guenther Thomas, teaching Systematic Theology at the University
of Bochum, Germany said "a liberating hermeneutic is not foreign to but is a
result of dealing with the Bible."

Pointing out the dynamic relation between human and divine in Scripture,
Thomas said "our christological models determine our view of Scripture."
Jacobson noted that "what is true about Scripture is theological, centered in
the gospel, which is very different from insisting that every word is true."

The LWF study team members in dialogue with one another, will be writing
articles that explore the different challenges to the Bible's authority in
Lutheran churches today. A compilation of these papers will be discussed at
the group's next meeting in 2006, with the aim to develop guidelines that
could be used in local contexts for approaching biblical texts. 

"Insofar as we as Lutherans view the Bible as the sole norm for our faith and
praxis, our failure to deal with emerging tensions concerning its
interpretation could threaten the coherence of the communion especially in
dealing with ethical issues," Boettcher commented. (599 words) 

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member
churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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