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Speaker: Rev. John
A. Buehrens |
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Rev. John A. Buehrens
book signing. |
3054 Understanding the Bible
Beacon Press
View this event
Speaker: Rev. John A. Buehrens
A standing-room-only crowd of 1,000 people attested to the
UU interest in “Understanding
the Bible,” which is the title of John Buehrens
latest book, published by Beacon
Press .
“If you don’t claim the right to interpret the
Bible, others will do it for you” John Buehrens told
us. We have allowed the central icons of our culture to fall
into the hands of others. It is important we reclaim both
the right and the responsibility to interpret the Bible.
There are many books about the Bible. What is special about
this one? As its subtitle says, it is designed for skeptics,
and would serve as a suitable guide for seekers from other
religious traditions. Buehrens applies critical judgment both
about the textual history and the contemporary application.
“You don’t have to believe in the Bible to understand
its stories” he explained. Furthermore, you don’t
need to believe the Bible is consistent, for neither are we;
and if, at times, God seems arbitrary this is appropriate
for so are we. In these ways, the myths of the Bible illuminate
our own history.
Myth is metaphor in narrative form. We ask: did that really
happen, or how do I feel about the protagonist? If we conclude
we don’t like it and it does not matter, we have not
gone far enough. You don’t have to go to Jalaluddin
Rumi or Zen to find paradoxical wisdom that speaks to the
soul, because metaphors are the essence of the Biblical tradition.
John Buehrens used the words of Laurel Hallman in
her Berry-Street address to refer to “misplaced
concreteness” in religious writing that should be replaced
by interpretations full of rich metaphor. For example, the
book of Genesis is a hymn to creation in seven stanzas, and
the Exodus story is at the core of our social justice movements.
Buehrens is an educator and has designed a book that can
be used for a 15-week course, with each chapter taking a different
approach to help us over the barriers to understanding the
Bible. We have let the side down for too long; it is time
to take up the challenge of interpreting the Bible for ourselves.
Reported for the web by Mike McNaughton; Web Design by
Julie Albanese
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