Introduction
Misreading the Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Brandon O’Brien and Randolph Richard is an exciting book that addresses several important cultural and historical context issues. The authors pay primary attention to the hermeneutical principle that the Bible should always be interpreted based on the historical and cultural contexts of the original writers and audience. Additionally, the authors recognize that modern Bible readers live in a different context. Thus, the chances are high that current Biblical interpretations are primarily subjective. Modern historical and cultural contexts supply habits of mind that lead to reading the Bible differently 1 . The authors do a great job at trying to help readers become aware of the cultural differences that exist between them and the original Bible participants. They further state that the corresponding presuppositions may lead to missing the originally intended meanings of the Scriptures. Arguably, the cultural and historical differences between the original participants and today’s Bible readers lead to immense discrepancies in terms of scriptural interpretation. Thus, appropriate Biblical interpretation primarily depends on the strict understanding of the cultural and historical context of the Bible.
Summary
Richard and O’Brien utilize the metaphor of an iceberg to structure the book into three critical parts; interpreter worldviews that reside above, below, and deep below the surface. The various worldviews inform the interpreter’s presuppositions while interpreting the scripture. The authors seek to demonstrate that cultural differences around the world influence the way people interpret scripture.
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Regarding cultural differences residing above the surface, mores ethnicity, and language is explored at length. According to the authors, mores refer to beliefs that are upheld by a given culture that go without saying. Most importantly, the mores often go unquestioned by the members of a given culture. For instance, Western mores include the idea that poverty is immoral. Although such mores are prevailing in Western societies, they do not necessarily have any scriptural backing. With regard to ethnicity, the authors assert that Westerners believe that ethnic differences do not matter and that everyone should be treated the same 2 . However, ethnic differences matter in reality, contrary to Westerners’ belief. This implies that ethnic differences influence the way people interpret scripture. Language is the most essential and understandable cultural difference above the surface, according to the authors. Authors assert that English does not have a word for every word in ancient languages. Therefore, English Scripture may not actually mean what was actually meant by original Greek or Hebrew words.
The authors also address cultural differences below the surface. The cultural differences under this category include individualism, time, and honor. While the Westerners view life from the perspective of an individual, other cultures, including certain cultures during Biblical times, emphasized the importance of the community. Westerners also perceive sin from the perspective of an individual, thus highlighting the significance of guilt. On the other hand, the honor of the community was held supreme in collectivist societies. Determining morality from the lens of society is common in collectivist societies. Thus, bringing honor and not shame to the society was considered supreme. The issue of time represents another crucial cultural element that influences Scriptural interpretation. While Westerners view time in a more general sense, other societies, including Greek, focus on time differently. For instance, the Greek describes time using two words; chromos and kairos . While chromos focuses on the quantitative aspect of time, kairos is used to describe qualitative time. However, qualitative time is often disregarded by Westerners and can significantly affect Biblical interpretation.
The cultural differences that reside deep below the surface, according to the authors, include rules and relationships, virtues and vices, as well as self as the center of the universe. Based on the Western worldview, rules trump relationships. However, relationships normally triumph over rules from a Biblical worldview. This implies that Western worldview affects scriptural interpretation. Additionally, the authors posit that all cultures determine which behaviors are virtues or vices and then rank them based on cultural influences. For instance, Westerners mostly view self-sufficiency as a virtue, contrary to scripture. Moreover, the Westerners often interpret scripture using the lens of self against the Biblical evidence. The above observations demonstrate how modern cultures can cause Scripture readers to fail to interpret the Bible accurately.
Richard and O’Brien conclude their work by suggesting five general tenets of Scripture interpretation. The tenets include embracing complexity, avoiding overcorrection, being teachable, facing mistakes, and reading together. According to the authors, the tenets can significantly help in eliminating cultural blindness while interpreting scripture.
Analysis
This analysis focuses on evaluating the perspectives of the authors and the supporting evidence they provide. The analysis will also explore the strengths of the authors’ arguments, along with the weaknesses. The book utilizes the first person point of view. The authors place themselves as part of the message recipients. The authors also state that they are evangelical white, Western males. Richard and O’Brien provide anecdotal evidence to support their arguments. Much of the evidence was gathered from Richard’s missionary experiences. The stories largely support the idea that cultural differences influence the interpretation of scripture. The authors also utilize Biblical evidence to support their claims. Although the authors did an incredible job, weaknesses in their arguments exist.
There are several strengths of the book, Misreading the Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by O’Brien and Richard. The most outstanding strengths include their effort in highlighting the risks of cross-cultural ignorance among Bible readers and the dangers of an obsession to self. The authors utilize Western stories to bring out the dangers of cross-cultural ignorance. For instance, the authors challenge some cultural assumptions held by Westerners using stories from Indonesia regarding examinations, time, and privacy. According to the authors, the Westerners would be surprised by Indonesian students who strongly believe that multiple-choice questions are indeed a form of cheating. However, the authors are quick to point out that the ultimate point is not to stage a debate on West against East, but rather to highlight the need to recognize and appreciate cultural differences to eliminate cultural blindness while interpreting scripture.
The other important strength of the book lies in its ability to demonstrate the dangers of the West’s obsession with self, particularly when interpreting scripture. The authors argue that West’s obsession with self hassled to the misinterpretation of 1Corinthians 6:19. In 1Corinthians 6:19, Paul writes, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…” (NASB). Notably, the authors state that many English interpreters suggest that the body is meant to apply to an individual. However, ‘you’ is in the plural, and the temple is in singular based on the original Greek. The authors are able to demonstrate how the West’s obsession with self affects the interpretation of scripture.
The authors make two major weaknesses in the book; they state that certain Biblical assumptions are correct without considering alternative assumptions, and they create ambiguity. The authors suggest that Paul uses an ethnic slur when he states, “You foolish Galatians!” (Galatians 3:1, NASB). The authors argue that Paul was talking to the illiterate barbarians in the north 3 . However, some Bible scholars claim that the weight of the evidence favors the south Galatians' view. The authors also create ambiguity by failing to define terms explicitly. Although the authors try to define innocence and guilt, they end up juxtaposing them with honor and shame 4 . The definitions between types of shame end up getting muddled, creating a lot of confusion.
Conclusion
Richard and O’Brien’s is an essential contribution to the field f Biblical interpretation. Although there are a few weaknesses that detract, they are outweighed by far by the strengths. The authors demonstrate the importance of interpreting the Bible based on its original cultural and historical context. The book is a good read for theological scholars because it provides valuable insights regarding the proper interpretation of scripture.
Bibliography
Misreading the Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Brandon O’Brien and Randolph Richard
1 Richards, E. Randolph, and Brandon J. O'Brien. Misreading scripture with Western eyes: Removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible . InterVarsity Press, 2012, 12
2 Richard and O’Brien, Misreading Scripture, 55
3 Richard & O’Brien, Misreading Scripture, 58
4 Ibid, 119
