Conversations in Context: Cross-Cultural (Grassroots) Biblical Interpretation Groups Challenging Western-centric (Professional) Biblical Interpretation

John, Helen C.

doi:10.1163/15685152-00271p03

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The concerns of mid-career scholars about the predominance of Western-centric corpus materials and the difficulties in adapting these to the Vietnamese context resonate with ongoing discussions in the field of EFL teaching (John, 2019). This study"s findings contribute to these discussions by offering concrete examples of how these challenges manifest in a specific cultural and educational setting.…”

Section: The Role Of Cultural Context In Corpus Linguistics Applicationmentioning

confidence: 72%

Adapting Corpus Linguistics for Primary EFL Education in Vietnam: Perspectives from Linguistics Scholars

Le,

Pham

2023

JIRPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This qualitative study investigates the perspectives of Vietnamese linguistics scholars on the integration of corpus linguistics into primary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. Through semi-structured interviews with nine scholars from two leading Vietnamese institutions, the research explores the applicability, challenges, and strategies of implementing corpus linguistics for young learners in Vietnam. Participants, categorized into novice, mid-career, and near-end career stages, offer diverse viewpoints on this innovative teaching approach. The underpinning theoretical frameworks are sociocultural theory and constructivist learning theory. The thematic analysis reveals four key themes: tailoring corpus linguistics to young learners’ needs and abilities, the challenges in implementing corpus linguistics in primary EFL settings, the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, and the role of cultural context in corpus linguistics application. The study finds a consensus on the need for simplifying and contextualizing corpus materials to suit young learners’ cognitive and cultural backgrounds. Challenges identified include adapting corpus materials, teacher training inadequacies, and curriculum integration difficulties. The gap between theory and practice highlights the need for hands-on teacher training and comprehensive resource development. Furthermore, the importance of culturally relevant corpus materials is emphasized, balancing local and global cultural elements. This study contributes to the field of EFL education by highlighting the specific challenges and strategies for implementing corpus linguistics in the Vietnamese primary education context. It underscores the importance of culturally and pedagogically sensitive approaches in language teaching innovations.

show abstract

Section: The Role Of Cultural Context In Corpus Linguistics Applicationmentioning

confidence: 72%

Adapting Corpus Linguistics for Primary EFL Education in Vietnam: Perspectives from Linguistics Scholars

Le,

Pham

2023

JIRPE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These grassroots discussion groups were designed to both gather Owambo interpretations of a selection of New Testament texts and explore the complex relationship between Christianity and ATR discussed above. This approach explicitly employs ATR in the interpretation of biblical texts (John 2017(John , 2019a(John , 2019b. In a setting wherein there is a pronounced sense that at least certain aspects of the 'traditional' are shameful, and where Christian religiosity is high and the Bible is held in very high esteem, the use of the Bible as a means to explore text and context (biblical and cultural) provided a more comfortable forum in which participants could reflect upon the particularities of their experience and interpretations.…”

Section: African Traditional Religion and Cultural Resilience In Owambomentioning

confidence: 99%

Christianization, the New Testament and COVID-19 in Owambo, Namibia

John

2021

Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article explores religious and cultural responses to the COVID-19 crisis in Namibia, focusing particularly on the northern region of Owambo. Since the 1870s, Owambo has experienced a rapid and widespread process of Christianization. Today, the vast majority of the population (both in Owambo and in wider Namibia) identify as Christian. In this context, the supremacy of the Bible and Christianity was established, in no small part, through the instigation of cultural crisis – the upending of social norms and the demonization of African Traditional Religion (ATR) and local cultural practice. From foodstuffs to family structure, from initiation to forms of dress and adornment – the overtly ‘traditional’ became taboo. And yet, responses to the COVID-19 pandemic illustrate the endurance of ATR and demonstrate that the cultural ‘text’ is at least as significant as the biblical text in the current crisis, whether as sphere of impact or source of resilience. This article therefore reflects on responses to the current COVID-19 crisis in light of the historical cultural crisis, exploring how Christianity and ATR are perceived to be affected by COVID-19, and how communities are drawing on Christianity/the Bible and ATR as sources of resilience.

show abstract

Introduction

Strømmen

2024

Challenging Contextuality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This introductory chapter argues that attention to the contemporary contexts in which Bibles abide provides a chance but also a challenge for biblical scholarship. It discusses the broader concerns at play in taking contemporary contexts seriously for any and all biblical interpretation, before turning to Contextual Bible Study as a specific approach to reading the Bible. The chapter foregrounds how this volume takes seriously that biblical interpretations are produced by, with, and amidst political practices, attitudes to sexuality, embodiments of gender, digital culture, class identities, and histories of biblical scholarship. Attending to context cannot leave biblical studies as a discipline untouched as the spaces in which biblical scholarship takes place are also contextual. As this chapter suggests, and as the contributors to the volume as a whole demonstrate, there is enormous potential for work to be done in biblical studies that turns to contemporary contexts.

show abstract

Conversations in Context: Cross-Cultural (Grassroots) Biblical Interpretation Groups Challenging Western-centric (Professional) Biblical Interpretation

Cited by 4 publications

References 16 publications

Adapting Corpus Linguistics for Primary EFL Education in Vietnam: Perspectives from Linguistics Scholars

Adapting Corpus Linguistics for Primary EFL Education in Vietnam: Perspectives from Linguistics Scholars

Christianization, the New Testament and COVID-19 in Owambo, Namibia

Introduction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About