#104 Book Critique: Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes
This paper will explore the structure and key points in the book Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes and go on to analyze and critique the book. The book is written by E. Richards and Brandon O’Brien who are authors of several other controversial books including Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? The major themes of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes are broken up into three parts or sections. In part one, “Above the surface,” the authors explore how different cultures understand things like sex, money, and food. While in part two, “Just below the surface,” there is a deep dive into collectivism and individualism. Then in part three, “Deep below the surface.” vice and virtue are explored. With a special emphasis on how we relate to scripture and God. Overall the book focuses on the issue of reading the Bible as “white, Western males.”
The authors point out a couple reasons that this is important. The global nature of christianity, and the issue of correctly reading the Bible. The authors say, “we can no longer pretend that a Western interpretation of the Bible is normative for all Christians everywhere.” While also adding, “Christianity is growing at such a rate in South America, Africa and Asia that soon the majority of Christians worldwide will not be white or Western.” This seems to communicate that the reason that worldwide views of the Bible matter is because of the growing disparity of Christian populations. This view is important in the realization that in some cases the western view may be the minority view or any given issue. Of further importance is the issue of Biblical hermeneutics and application. The authors illustrate this issue in the story about Laodicea in Revelations 3:15-16. The authors compare our reading of the story to how the geography adds depth to the story, “The point of this story is that where we stand influences how we read—and ultimately apply—the Bible.”
The authors of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes are self proclaimed “white, Western males.” Who “always speak as white, Western males.” They also state that they are, “middle-class, white males with a traditionally Western education.” This point of view is illustrated throughout the book in stories where the authors are confronted with different ways of seeing the same Bible verses. They attempt to confront their biases and compare them with other views to gain a better understanding of the Bible. Consider the example from page eighteen where one of the authors is visiting a village and he is asked for his opinion on a sin issue. Someone got married without their parents' consent. This is viewed as a non-issue to the author while to the village it was a major issue as the couple failed to obey Ephesians 6:1.
The authors seemingly miss the mark at every turn of the book to understand the objective reality of the Bible. In the story of the village from page eighteen the church leaders in the village make the connection of Ephesians 6:1 to adult children. The church leaders read this verse out of context. Ephesisnas 6:1 in the NASB says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” They argue that this verse means they should deny a married Christian couple from becoming members of the church as they got married without their parents permission. The first word “Children” I would argue relates to the age and relationship not just one or the other. An adult may choose not to obey their parents as they are no longer children. Next there is the phrase “in the Lord” which points to the idea that you should obey God commands or the same commands that God gives not bad ones. Next consider another relevant verse to this conversation Genesis 2:24 where God commands that man is to leave his father and mother to be joined to his wife. That verse implies that by getting married you are no longer under obligation to your parents commands. Even more so, you may consider the fact that all people have sins and mistakes in their past. The church leaders focus on the past sin instead of the current good conduct that is blatantly unchristian in character. Issues like these are repeated throughout the book overshadowing any positive quality the book may have.
One mistake that we as westerners often make is to take the Bible out of its historical context. Such as in the example of Jeremiah 29:11 which is often applied to individuals at graduations and the like. The authors say, “The assumption is naïve; but worse, it influences the way we read the Bible.” I agree with this point. It can be easy to let our own biases be read into stories from the Bible such as the one in Jeremiah 29:11. Which may be more accurately read as being written to the Jewish exiles in Babylon.
The word “white” as referring to race is used dozens of times throughout the book. The word “white” is especially used at the beginning of the book. Such as in the phrase, “Everything either of us has ever written has come from the perspective of middle-class, white males with a traditionally Western education.” The issue with this claim is multifaceted. The whiteness of the authors seems to be more important than many other issues that are arguably more relevant and less generalized. Economic class, country of origin, rural or suburban, culture, life experiences, and education, are all far more important than the issue of skin color that pervades this book. The authors continue by saying about their whiteness, “There’s really nothing we can do about that except be aware of and honest about it.” It is true that being aware and honest about your background is important. Yet the authors fail to recognize that our education and all the other factors that make people who they are inform how we read the Bible.
The authors go on to claim that “There is no purely objective biblical interpretation.” This claim is backed up by saying, “there’s no way around the fact that our cultural and historical contexts supply us with habits of mind that lead us to read the Bible differently than Christians in other cultural and historical contexts.” I would say that this is just common sense. Of course we focus and care about different things than the original authors. But this fact does not negate the fact that there is an objective biblical interpretation to be had. The question is rather how accessible is that reality to us. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows us that even if we cannot understand the Bible perfectly it is still usable as a guiding rod.
In Conclusion this book offers a critical examination of cultural perspective. The book raises many valid assertions such as that the western view of the Bible is not universal. While the points on race and identity may be valid they seemingly overshadow the many other points of comparison which are more important. Despite the shortcomings this book may be best used by pastors and theology students as a reminder to confront their beliefs and seek God’s truth. Yet even in that application there are other books that do a much better job such as introductions to Hermeneutics like the one by Duvall and Hays Grasping God’s Word or commentaries like the New International Commentary on the New Testament. While Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes offers a starting point for cultural discussions of the Bible it ought to be supplemented by other resources.
E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 7.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid., 17.
Ibid.
Ibid., 11.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid., 193.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid.
Ibid.,12.
Ibid.
