An African response to The postmodern Bible : is it helpful in breaking the stranglehold of idealist hermeneutics?

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of the thesis is to determine the relevance of postmodern insights asexpressed in The Postmodern Bible for Africans and evaluate their significance forAfrican biblical scholarship. The thesis argues that postmodern insights are apowerful instrument to free interpretation from its idealist captivity. My argument isthat the advent of postmodernity heralded more benefits and opportunities forAfricans and their churches than the supposed collateral demage. Postmodernity hascreated greater opportunities for Africans and other non-western peoples to resistEuro-American domination than modernity. It deconstructs the dominant EuroAmericantradition and epistemology, thus- enables ,marginalized discourses andgroups to become counter-discourses and counter-movements.The first chapter gives a treatment of the purpose and methodology of the thesis, interms of its structured development. To understand postmodernity attention is given inthe second chapter to a description of selected contours of modernity and anevaluation of the causes of its decline.Because of the decline of modernity, it is important to ascertain what alternativeparadigms are emerging in its place. The third chapter presents an introduction anddescription of selected contours associated with postmodernity as expressed in ThePostmodern Bible in order to gain some understanding in the philosophical thoughtpatterns and worldview orientations of postmodernists.Some aspects of shona worldview as a background against which to mirror therelevance of postmodernity for Africans are featured in the -fourth chapter. Here therelationship between the shona and their ancestors is explained, as distinct from theGod concept which is acknowledged by them as the origin of life. The ancestors asthe living-timeless are viewed as a connection between the living and the spirit-world,as well as guardians of traditions, land and the natural environment.An evaluatory critique of postmodernity as expressed in The Postmodern Bible froman African perspective is the fulcrum of the fifth chapter. How does postmodernityformulated for a people of Euro-American cultural and social milieu become effective and relevant in an African cultural and social milieu? Faced with the need to definethemselves, Africans are led to place both modernity and postmodernity in a newcontext and critically evaluate their relevance for them.The significance of postmodern insights for African churches and African biblicalscholarship is the theme of the sixth chapter. Here my argument is that a postmoderncritique of modernity can help African churches become authentic, contextuallyappropriatehermeneutical communities of the' gospel. It explores the implication of apostmodern critique of individualism, rationalism, scientific/materialistic positivismand technology for an African paradigmatic understanding of being one, holy, catholicand apostolic community of faith.The concluding chapter offers critical observations and implications of the researchfor African people and their churches. It identifies practical challenges which, iftaken seriously, are radically life transforming.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University