Contextual Bible Study
Contextual Bible Study (CBS) is a methodology that is committed to reading the Bible prophetically for the liberation of communities struggling against the structures that keep them oppressed and marginalized. Toward this end it is rooted in on-going cycles of action and reflection. It is an interactive process that brings Biblical texts into dialogue with particular communities for the purpose of transformation and change, on both individual and societal levels. It is a methodology that takes texts and contexts seriously—both the texts and ancient contexts of the Bible, and the “texts” of people’s lives today and their contemporary contexts.
The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice works in collaboration with the Glocal Network on Contextual Bible Reading. As a partnership among the Ujama Centre for Biblical and Theological Community Development and Research the Centro de Estudos Bíblicos and Kerk in Actie, this network is endeavoring in a project of:
- Identifying ‘contextual Bible reading’ resources from different parts of the world
- Updating these resources so that they reflect the current praxis of particular contexts
- Translating these resources into a range of languages so that as many as possible can have access to them
- Collating and archiving these resources electronically so that they will be available as widely aspossible
- Using these resources to train others within particular contexts
- Revising these resources on a regular basis as part of the praxis cycle
Resources
- Selected Resources for Contextual Biblical Study (PDF, 102KB)
- Facilitating Contextual Bible Study, Gerald West
- Crossing Over with the Damned, Bob Ekblad
- The Importance of Reading the Bible in Context, Margaret Aymer
- Understanding a Critique of the Roman Empire, Margaret Aymer
- Pastor Joseph Tolton Interviews Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anderson