Emerging Questions for a Missional Reading
Some Questions for a Missional Reading
The goal of biblical interpretation is conversion. The Bible desires to transform the lives of its readers/hearers by calling them to (re)align their lives with World of the Text. The burning question for interpreters involves linking the contemporary lives and worldviews of persons in the 21st century with the issues and themes that emerge from a close reading of the biblical text.
Here are some questions that focus on the reader:
What issues in this text challenge my community of faith’s current mode of existence?
What parts of the text don’t fit neatly into my/our theology?
What parts of the text would I rewrite or replace if I could?
Are there elements in the text that may obscure its good news?
What questions does the text itself beg to be asked? What are the “elephants in the room”?
A key question rooted in the reading of the text itself:
How did this text function as good news in its original context?
More to come…
What do you think? Any suggestions?
© 2009 Brian D. Russell
Brian,
One question I have been grappling with is “How was this text bad news for the people who thought they were in control of the agenda?” as usually there is a bottom up challenge to existing power structures within the bible….