People of the Rise
An invitation to eDARE 2021
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By Jione Havea
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“
eople of the Book” refers to people who profess and commit to their monotheistic scriptures (that is, scriptures which sanction belief in and regulate teachings about only one God). In the world wide web of religions, this reference points specifically to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. We in Christian communities, however, do not understand our Book (Bible) in the same way. This is unavoidable: with respect to insights and convictions, no faith community is one-size-fits-all. Diverse and conflicting interpretations are inevitable. Notwithstanding, our communities will be helped if we open our eyes wider and lift our minds from the traps of local struggles – and read the Bible anew. We may not agree in our interpretations but being open to new inspirations and to alternative imaginations can help keep at bay those of us who are quick to enforce our own understandings of the Bible on others. From the beginning, the Bible has resourced public discourses. And since the Reformation and the burgeoning of publishing presses, the Bible has become a popular and a public book – made to speak into local and social struggles, around intercommunity agendas, and behind transnational missions. Over the ages, the Bible has also become a tool, a marketable product, and even a weapon. In other words, the Bible is not locked up in faith communities. Truth be told, the Bible is not the only book that shapes Christian faith. Faith and church communities are not shut out from the rest of the world. Rather, like the Bible, faith and church communities exist in public places. In this connection, two of the key concerns that eDARE 2021 will help us in are to be church, and to rise to life,2 in public spaces.
22-year-old Sudanese student Alaa Salah during an anti-Bashir protest in Khartoum. Image via Povo News.
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See information about eDARE 2021 at https://edare.cwmission.org.
38 INSiGHT AUGUST 2021
