SEARCH Journal

The Bible the Life of the Church At ACC meetings a number of roles and tasks are assigned. I had been asked to lead Bible study. My group, like all those at ACC, comprised a diverse range of individuals - a Lutheran, an influential layman from a small remote island province, three bishops, two archbishops and two lecturers at theological colleges. Only myself and the Lutheran were from the northern hemisphere. For all but two of us, English was the second or third or fourth language. Archbishop Rowan had begun the day with a scripture reading and a thoughtful consideration and then sent us off to consider a question: “When have you seen God in action in your own community?” Eagerly the layman related a tale of how his cousin had been coaxed by a friend to go fishing instead of going to church and God had turned this friend into a wild boar who chased him into the river. One of the more senior members of our group immediately chastised the man for his foolishness, furious with him for his “primitive analysis” of the situation. The man in his defence retorted with a range of Old Testament passages involving punishments for turning from God and of God’s anger being like a wild beast. A heated debate ensued. In the end we actually had a long and interesting discussion on Bible interpretation; on the issues of commitment to regular worship, even the lure of shing for food over church attendance! We never did reach agreement about the wild boar, but we found a way of talking about issues that mattered and finding common ground. It was for me however an important lesson that teaching people how to engage with scripture remains fraught with difficulties. We will all read it as the proclamation of our faith, but we cannot help but do so with cultural and personal resonances.