The Bible for Normal People
Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People, Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker joins Pete and Jared to talk about the impact of white supremacy in the field of biblical interpretation, whether we can truly read the Bible objectively, and how a womanist interpretation of the Bible can lead to liberation for all. Join them as they ask the following questions:
How is biblical inerrancy or infallibility tied to white supremacy?
Where did the doctrine of inerrancy and infallibility come from? How has it been weaponized?
What does “objective” really mean in biblical interpretation, and how has it been used to perpetuate a certain cultural norm?
Can we really be objective when we read the Bible?
What is a microaggression and how does it affect people of color?
How does Angela maintain hope in the midst of all she’s experienced as a Black woman in a field that has historically been dominated by white masculinity?
Is every method of biblical interpretation a “neutral” tool?
How can a womanist interpretation of the Bible help us live more hope-filled lives?
Tweetables
Pithy, shareable, less-than-280-character statements from Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker you can share.
I was not asking the same questions that my white colleagues were asking when I was thinking theologically, or when I was thinking biblically. I was actually asking questions that matter to my embodied existence as an African American woman in these United States of America. — @anp22fab
The questions that I would bring to classes, to biblical readings, to conversations in the classroom, were often brushed aside as, “That’s not the right question.” That was my first realization that I was being trained in white theology, or being trained to be a white male biblical scholar. — @anp22fab
The idea of inerrancy and the idea of infallibility is not necessarily tied to the text—it became a tool placed in the Bible that meant the Bible became a way to stop arguments about same-sex relationships, or the ability of all people to thrive and flourish in the world, or to stop an argument about women preaching or teaching in a church context. — @anp22fab
This idea of power and control is the way that the doctrines of inerrancy and infallibility are used in order to stop arguments about the flourishing of people beyond what some someone says from a text taken out of context. — @anp22fab
We have to pay attention to culture, and we have to pay attention to power dynamics, even as we pay attention to language and how language is used. — @anp22fab
The idea of objectivity, that usually comes from scholars thinking that they can find the one true meaning of a particular text, is steeped in what we call historical criticism. That idea of finding that one true, that one perfect, that one thing, is actually a fallacy in itself. — @anp22fab
I often argue that is “objectivity” is code for white male. How do you actually read objectively without bringing any aspect of yourself to the text? — @anp22fab
I make this connection between objectivity as the idea of stripping away everything about yourself to read texts from any kind of a “pure view.” And that is what we identify as the norm for a lot of people. And that norm becomes code for a particular body. — @anp22fab
I can read commentaries that just quote white man after white man after white man, without even thinking about how their interpretations actually affect an African woman in southern Sudan. — @anp22fab
There’s a belief that you can strip yourself of any kind of identifying qualities and read [the Bible] objectively, and that [perspective] becomes the norm. But I think that norm is code for white masculinity. — @anp22fab
I live and walk by the faith and in the faith of Jesus the Christ—but that doesn’t mean that I’m certain about every aspect of the biblical texts. Because I argue that faith is not certainty—faith is the opposite of certainty. — @anp22fab
Our Bible shows us the ways that different people interact with God in order to live a hope-filled life. — @anp22fab
Part of my own womanist commitment is for liberation for all people. I’m not doing this just to liberate Black women, but I do this to also liberate my white male colleagues who have not had to think about what a privilege it is to walk into a room and automatically expect to be accepted. Not everybody lives in that privilege. — @anp22fab
Mentioned in This Episode
Books: If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I?: Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority by Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker
Support: patreon.com/thebiblefornormalpeople
Summer School: www.thebiblefornormalpeople.com/summerschool
https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-216-rev-dr-angela-n-parker-the-white-supremacy-of-inerrancy/