As literature the NT forms part of the background to most literature and art in Christian countries which means the western world.

As history, the NT both directly records historical events (or at least claims to) and alludes to a historical context. These aspects are referred to as the history in the text and the history behind the text. And then there’s the way the NT becomes history itself by being canonised and it’s affect as part of Christianity on the western world.

As a religious text, the NT provides accounts of the life of Jesus including words he actually spoke* and early influential Christians theology and interpretation of the Old Testament / Hebrew Scriptures.

Two of those aspects of NT study are non-religious: they are as much of interest to non-Christian scholars as they are to Christian. Even the religious aspects of the NT are of interest to non-Christian scholars attempting to critique modern Christianity and theology as it continues to play a part in politics and culture in many countries. Less so in Australia and Europe but importantly in The USA and parts of Africa.

However, I would guess that the most attention paid to the NT is by Christians interpreting it in their own religious context. I imagine that my study this semester will also be focussed on the religious interpretation but as the opening chapter notes, it is dangerous to read this text with a narrow agenda. In the past the New Testament has been interpreted in ways to justify war, slavery, homophobia, racism and sexism. In the hands of fundamentalists it is used as a powerful authority to back any number of atrocious ideologies.

So as Christians reading this text, it’s important not to discard the literary and historical aspects or let its message be lost in translation. While some Christians would rather not “pull it apart” or “water it down” and may accuse theologians of doing just that, if we want to take the NT seriously must have the courage to read it thoughtfully, to critique it, to question it and in turn let it question us.

*Let’s be aware and agree that pretty much all claims made by any text including the Bible are open to debate. I’m going to get really tired if I have to keep writing “claims that” in front of every sentence.

The interview introduces the Family as a network of Christian fundamentalists who interpret the Gospel as a message of free market capitalism and salvation through power. Jeff talks about the way they recruit powerful people, their strong aversion to democracy, their links with dictatorship and neo-naziism, their use of the office of the President of the United States and their involvement internationally including their negative influence on the AIDS program in Uganda (by lobbying for Uganda’s AIDS program to stop promoting condoms).

From the show transcript (talking about Doug Coe, the leader of the Family):

Woman: Who is Doug Coe? Here he is on videotapes obtained exclusively by NBC News, with his account of atrocities under Chairman Mao.

Doug Coe: I’ve seen pictures of the young men in the Red Guard, they would bring in this young man’s mother, he would take an axe and cut her head off. They have to put the purposes of the Red Guard ahead of their father, mother, brother, sister, and their own life. That was a covenant, a pledge. That’s what Jesus said.

Woman: In his preaching he repeatedly urges a personal commitment to Jesus Christ, a commitment Coe compares to the blind devotion Hitler demanded.

The interview really must be heard for it’s jaw dropping, blood boiling effect.

To me this story illustrates the folly of religious groups and individuals who place the Bible at the authoritative central place and assume that the Bible can be a reliable guide to faith without any regard for what we now understand about textual criticism. Many Christians reject modern critical theory because they see it undermines the authority of the Bible, but what this theory is also saying is that we can’t read the Bible and assume that there is one definitive meaning that we will all share. The Family illustrates this perfectly because they read the Bible and see a completely different message even from other fundamentalists.