Fernandez discusses the current situation of Filipino Americans in light of the Israelite exodus. However, he adds a twist as he describes the Filipino Americans as going from their exodus to Egypt as opposed to the other way around as recorded in the Bible. They have chosen to come to a place where they are “colonialized” [...]
Week 10 – Canonization and Marginalizations: Mary of Magdala – King (Sugirtharajah)
Like King, I have also wondered what happened with Mary after Christ’s ascencion as she is not mentioned in the book of Acts. This is surprising considering her story as a faithful disciple of Jesus. King suggests that Mary is not mentioned due to the “patriarchal powers” in charge of canonization that hoped to discourage such [...]
Week 10 – Cutchery Tamil Versus Pure Tamil – Israel (Sugirtharajah)
This article deals with the controversial translation of the biblical text into the Tamil language. It seems as though this problem has been present in every place in which Christianity was brought through colonialism. Much of the problem seems to be found in the imposing or hijacking of terms on the Christian colonizers’ part. Maybe the [...]
Week 10 – How Local Divine Powers Were Supressed – Mbuwayesango (Sugirtharajah)
The practice of Bible translation must be taken with much sensitivity. Good intentions are not enough when it comes to this matter. It takes living within the culture and becoming completely familiar with it. In the situation regarding the Shona people, there is controversy over the use of Mwari as God because Mwari is the same name used for [...]
Week 9 – Racial Discourse and Irish History – Gibbons (Castle)
This piece reminded me of how division will always exist. One group of people will always be able to find fault in another in order to prove its own superiority, whether that “fault” is skin color, social status, or cultural difference. This division is ultimately a result of a blindness to God’s inclusive love. As [...]
Week 9 – Inventing Ireland – Kiberd (Castle)
In his concluding remarks about Irish nationalism, Kiberd states that “a nation could only achieve consciousness through exposure to others.” I believe this concept can be simplified to individual experience. As one who was homeschooled for a few years, I can relate to this concept. Unless I am surrounded by other people, I won’t know what [...]
Week 9 – God at the Crossroads: Sophia – Rivera (Sugirtharajah)
I appreciated and understood Rivera’s perspectives on hybridity. I can totally relate to the notion of different perspectives meeting at a crossroads as that has been a constant in my own life. However, I struggled with this concept described in light of Sophia. Who is Sophia after all? How and why is she associated with [...]
Week 9 – Reading a Woman’s Death – Bourke (Castle)
This piece spoke of the violent murder of Bridget Cleary by her husband in Ireland in the late 1800s. This murder was explained by fairy tales that were especially common in rural Ireland during this time. So many acts of violence toward women and children were explained away by these fairy tales. Surprisingly, the “fairy” [...]
Week 9 – Maori “Jews”: Resistant Reading of John 5:10-47 – Huie-Jolly (Sugirtharajah)
This was an intriguing article about how some Maori in New Zealand chose to associate themselves with the Jews as opposed to Christ. The gospel was shared with them during the British colonization of New Zealand. Their understanding of the gospel was completely affected by the context in which it was presented. Their perception of Christ [...]
Week 9 – Mission of the Church – Fuellenbach
This chapter points out five essential elements in “kingdom consciousness”. One of these elements is the understanding that the division between secular and sacred does not exist. I think this is so true. There is such a tendency to compartmentalize the different areas in our lives, when in reality we should allow the “sacred” and “secular” to be one in [...]
