Rereading Hebrews for liberating interdependence from within a Zimbabwean Mbire context

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As modern society becomes more complex and diverse, a colonial reading paradigm is increasinglybecoming less plausible and has reached a point at which it is no longer possible to play tricks withcolonized peoples. It belongs to a period and expresses an outlook with which we can no longeridentify. A new epoch in the field of reading has opened. What we see in a postcolonial paradigm isa radical shuffling of the cards into a new pattern.This study argues that a postcolonial assumption of a plurality of contexts of salvation is aliberating paradigm that proceeds along a path that includes the acceptance of the independence andseparate character of the various religions and the avoidance of superordination-subordinationrelationships. It acknowledges and seeks to detect religious intolerance and to encourage anapproach that celebrates human cultural diversity-a rainbow religion or religious landscape. In thisstudy a colonial reading paradigm of the bible in general and the letter to the Hebrews in particular,is turned on its head and colonial conception of supersessionism – an absolute claim to superiority –rendered largely obsolete. It is no longer a case of business as usual.As the Christian assumption of absolute claims to superiority over non-Christian religions isincreasingly becoming less plausible – in fact, obsolete – and no longer make sense to many people,collective and collaborative efforts are an ideal alternative. There is a need to create space for otherreligions to work in partnership with the Christian religion in our unprecedented communicational,democratic and pluralistic cultural contexts where we rub shoulders with devotees of non-Christianreligions.A pluralistic form of religious environment, where there is no one religion with preferentialprivileges, is an ideal thing in our contexts. We need a different conceptualization of the role ofreligion, where non-Christian religions are viewed not as demonic, false or inferior, but as worthycolleagues in the religious quest. They are alternative and valid version of religious faith as well.The idea that the ultimate reality, the cosmic power, has dealt with only one segment of humankind,the Christian people, and that ideally there should be one, and only one, universal religion should berejected.Moreover, for Christian people to be receptive to non-Christian religions does not entail abandoningor betraying the Christian religion. It simply entails appropriating insights previously unavailable tothem. The idea that the Euro-American Christian theoretical line carries automatic evaluativejudgements should now be regarded as decidedly outdated.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University