Bible Blindspots

Several of the ways and cultures that the Bible privileges or denounces slip by unnoticed. When those—the privileged and the denounced—are not examined, they fade into and hide in the blind spots of the Bible. This collection of essays engages some of the subjects who face dispersion (physical displacement that sparks ideological bias) and othering (ideologies that manifest in social distancing and political displacement). These include, among others, the builders of Babel, Samaritans, Melchizedek, Jezebel, Judith, Gomer, Ruth, slaves, and mothers. In addition to considering the drive to privilege or denounce, the contributors also attend to subjects ignored because the Bible’s blind spots are not examined. These include planet Earth, indigenous Australians, Palestinians, Dalits, minjungs, battered women, sexual-abuse victims, religious minorities, mothering men, gays, and foreigners. This collection encourages interchanges and exchanges between dispersion and othering, and between the Bible and context. It flows in the currents of postcolonial and gendered studies, and closes with a script that stages a biblical character at the intersection of the Bible’s blind spots and modern readers’ passions and commitments.

Several of the ways and cultures that the Bible privileges or denounces slip by unnoticed. When those--the privileged and the denounced--are not examined, they fade into and hide in the blind spots of the Bible. This collection of essays engages some of the subjects who face dispersion (physical displacement that sparks ideological bias) and othering (ideologies that manifest in social distancing and political displacement). These include, among others, the builders of Babel, Samaritans, Melchizedek, Jezebel, Judith, Gomer, Ruth, slaves, and mothers. In addition to considering the drive to privilege or denounce, the contributors also attend to subjects ignored because the Bible's blind spots are not examined. These include planet Earth, indigenous Australians, Palestinians, Dalits, minjungs, battered women, sexual-abuse victims, religious minorities, mothering men, gays, and foreigners. This collection encourages interchanges and exchanges between dispersion and othering, and between the Bible and context. It flows in the currents of postcolonial and gendered studies, and closes with a script that stages a biblical character at the intersection of the Bible's blind spots and modern readers' passions and commitments.

For many of us, theology, rather than the Bible itself, comprises our knowledge of God. This knowledge, however, is a gift from the Holy Spirit. In order to find it, we must allow the Holy Spirit to direct us when we read the Bible instead of relying upon theologians interpretations. The Bibles Tare and Blind Spot takes a hard look at the diverse, complex, and sometimes incompatible beliefs of various Christian groups. Author Steven Iruthaya shares how portions of the Church have misrepresented and misapplied the teachings in the Scriptures over the past two thousand years. Through analysis, he contends that religious leaders have agendas that they do not always make clear. Iruthaya raises a number of significant issues that have caused discussions and controversies throughout the history of the church. He briefly explores early, middle, and modern Christianitys doctrines and then focuses on pertinent topics such as the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus, the Ten Commandments, and more. His conclusions are challenging and, for some, perhaps provocative. An informative treatise on Christianity, The Bibles Tare and Blind Spot calls Christians to challenge their long-held assumptions and, in doing so, find greater faith.

Asian immigration is transforming the Australian church and society. Migration from Asian countries occupies six of the ten largest groups migrating to Australia. While most Australian churches are declining and aging, Asian Australian churches are young and growing. The end of white Australian Christianity is near. The future of the church is Asian. Sunburnt Country, Sweeping Pains shares the stories of Asian Australian women as they experience inequality, racism, sexism, and stereotypes in ministry and mission. These women also talk about the joy and meaning they find in serving God’s church and world. In this book, Graham Joseph Hill examines 21,987 NCLS surveys, 36 detailed surveys, and 15 in-depth interviews with Asian Australian Christian women. These women share their stories of discrimination and efforts to bring change. They also offer proposals for a more equal, fair, and just Australian church. Sunburnt Country, Sweeping Pains is essential reading for all who value the voices and stories of women and want to address racism and sexism in church and society. Asian Australian Christian women guide us toward a multiethnic church that values equality and dignity for women and men of all cultures.

In a sense, Oceania can be considered a microcosm of World Christianity. Within this region are many of the same observable trends on the global level that impact Christian life, faith, and witness. The geography of Oceania—the “liquid continent”—is unique. Christianity arrived in Australia and New Zealand in the late eighteenth century via British colonial powers. Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, Torres Strait Islanders, and Māori peoples were dispossessed of land, property, rights, and dignity. Christianity grew by migration and conversion (not always voluntary), and over time became tightly intertwined with culture. In the twentieth century, rapid secularization moved Christianity into the private sphere, and by 2020 Christian affiliation had dropped from 97 percent to 57 percent. However, the history of Christianity in the Pacific Islands—Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia—is quite different. Christianity arrived via Protestant and Catholic missionaries between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries and grew substantially in the twentieth century largely due to indigenous Christian efforts. Islanders brought Christianity to neighboring islands, indigenous theologies developed, and churches gradually separated from their Western mission founders. One of the great “success stories” of World Christianity is Papua New Guinea, which grew from just 4 percent Christian in 1900 to 95 percent in 2020. However, growth is never the entire story. Violence against women is endemic in Papua New Guinea and is often combined with accusations of witchcraft. An estimated 59 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (and 48 percent in the last year). As Christianity continues its shift to the global South, it becomes increasingly critical to heed the experiences, perspectives, and theologies of Christians, particularly women, in the Pacific Islands.

Christians talk a lot about church unity. Unfortunately, however, God’s people are often better known for their divisions and disagreements than for a common commitment to the gospel. At the root of this disunity are the blind spots that prevent us from seeing other points of view and reevaluating our own perspectives. In this provocative book, Collin Hansen challenges Christians from various “camps” to view their differences as opportunities to more effectively engage a needy world with the love of Christ. Highlighting the diversity of thought, experience, and personality that God has given to his people, this book lays the foundation for a new generation of Christians eager to cultivate a courageous, compassionate, and commissioned church.

The Ruth narrative opens with a climate crisis – a famine pushed a family to migrate – and addresses some of the critical concerns for refugees: food, security, home, land, inheritance. Around those concerns, Losing Ground: Reading Ruth in the Pacific offers a collection of bible studies from the Pacific that interweave the climate pandemic with the interests and wisdoms of Pasifika natives. Weaving Ruth’s story together with the stories of those who, as Pacific islanders on the frontline of a climate catastrophe, are forced to leave their homes because of rising sea levels, Pasifika bible scholar Jione Havea offers a powerful and potent contribution which refuses to pretend scripture can be read separately from the every day realities of a climate emergency.

Theologies are constructed in and from lived contexts, and contexts are shaped by borders. While borders are barriers, they are also steppingstones for crossing over and invitations for moving further. This book offers theological and cultural reflections from the intersections of borders (real and imagined), bodies (physical, cultural, religious, ideological, political), and voices (that endorse as well as talk back). With and in the interests of natives and migrants, the authors of this book embrace bordered bodies and stir bothered voices. The essays are divided into four overlapping clusters that express the shared drives between the authors--Noble borders: some borders are not experienced as constricting because they are seen as noble; Negotiating bodies: bodies constantly negotiate and relocate borders; Troubling voices: bothered voices cannot be muted or silenced; Riotous bodies: embracing the wisdom in and of rejected and wounded bodies is a riot that this book invites. The authors engage their subjects out of their experiences as migrants and natives. This book is thus a step toward--and an invitation for more work on--migrant and native theologies.