See you in the Bible

Intercultural Bible reading in practice

 

 

Intercultural Bible reading is a new and fascinating way of reading the Bible. A few years ago, this method was first developed in the Netherlands. Ever since, many variations of the method have been practised in many different parts of the world. In Holland, the project See You in the Bible (2007-2009) has brought together Christians from various traditions and cultures. They shared their insights on certain biblical passages and got to know each other closely. This book reports on the encounters and suggests ways to organise intercultural Bible studies.

 

The makers of this book set out with the hope and expectation that biblical stories may become meeting points where readers find peace, love, encounter. They have tried to join together readers of the Bible who live in the same neighbourhoods and who sometimes even use the same church buildings while remaining unfamiliar to each other.

 

If there is anything this book demonstrates, it is that the Bible is an inexhaustible source of spiritual strength, even today. People who navigate through life with the help of the Scriptures receive new meaning and new direction and are bound together across borders. An intercultural project such as See You in the Bible also reminds us that the Bible is a missionary book, full of potential to break through ethnic and cultural barriers. It is the desire of all those who worked in this project that this book will stimulate Christians in many places to enter into a fruitful praxis of intercultural Bible reading. By doing so, Christians can contribute their part to the liveability of many-coloured societies that witness increasing incitement of hatred between people and groups.