What is a biblical world view?

It is not unusual to hear some conservatives touting the importance of Christians having a biblical world view. But what does that really mean? Is there any such thing though?

It so happens that the Bible is not a simple one-size-fits-all text. It is rather complex, with evolving views which were ascribed to God, when the views are really about God. In fact, there is often a conflict between views in the Bible. Two often contending views are those of the prophetic and the priestly traditions.

The priestly tradition protects the status quo. It seeks to maintain order in line with the liturgy and doctrines of the temple. The prophetic tradition challenges the status quo and speaks truth to power.

In the Book of the Prophet Amos, we see a confrontation between Amaziah the priest and Amos the prophet. Amos comes on the scene with a message of judgement. In fact, he preaches against the sins of surrounding nations. However, when he moves to preaching against the sins of Israel, and speaks truth to Jeroboam, King of Israel, Amaziah the priest takes umbrage. Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out, you seer! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there. Don’t prophesy anymore at Bethel, because this is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom” (Amos 7:12-13 - NIV).

There are some brand-name churches in Jamaica which are prone to behaving like Amaziah. They serve pretentious middle-class values. They depend on royalist associations for their sense of becoming and worth. They believe that their spaces should be reserved for the who’s who of society, just like Amaziah, who told Amos that this place is the king’s sanctuary and a temple of the kingdom. It seems Amaziah forgot that Bethel literally meant ‘house of God’.

In Jamaica, we do well to remember that while a more enlightened society understands the value of separation of Church and State, it does not mean a separation of prophetic speaking to agents of the State. After all, the prophet ought to speak for justice and good governance within the State!

Robert Thompson, writing in Redemption Song – Reading the Scripture for Social Change, aptly observes, “Very few persons, if any, would like to see a return of the days when Church and State shared the same agenda. The separation that rightly exists today between Church and State, however, must not be allowed to dictate a similar separation between religion and politics. Often, it is those who have a vested interest to protect, and therefore do not wish the prophetic voice of the Church interfering in social and political matters, who argue in support of separation.”

SELF-APPOINTED PROPHETS

Unfortunately, we have several self-appointed prophets who resemble nothing of the biblical prophets. The biblical prophets consistently saw and gave witness to their own weaknesses and limitations in the light of God’s call. Many of today’s self-announced prophets are simply serving the status quo and using religion to serve the politics of the religious right. They do foretelling entertainment rather than forthtelling of truth to power. And many unsuspecting sheep are following suit.

The prophetic voices in the Baptist, Methodist, United, Roman Catholic and Anglican churchs and Rastafari have for the past 40 years spoken truth to power. However, they have had to compete with American evangelicalism, with its emphasis on prosperity gospel, with its moralising dictates that ignore corruption in high places, while placating the Jeroboams of this world. Do not forget that many of these evangelicals anointed the likes of Trump, Boris, and any who would advance conservative extremism to suit the religious right.

The Prophet Amos is the Jamaican grandmother who speaks her words of wisdom without recognised credentials. Amos answered Amaziah, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore fig trees” (Amos 7:14). Wisdom is never the preserve of society’s privileged and pampered select. Amos gave witness to God’s use of whomsoever God chooses to speak and act for justice.

As we approach the celebrations of Emancipation and Independence, we do well to hear Amos as a reminder, “Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, saying, ‘When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?’ – skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat” (Amos 8: 4-6).

Notice that there has always been the omnipresent practice of keeping ‘New Moon and Sabbath’ to feed complacency while exploiting the poor. While many in the Church ignore the work of advocacy for reparatory justice, and stay on the side of the Amaziahs of history, guess where Jesus stands?

Lest we forget, the Baptist deacon Paul Bogle was indeed one of our prophets whose advocacy for social justice was unswerving. Paul Bogle was martyred on October 24, 1865. He was one of Jamaica’s first activists for human rights and justice. He was inspired by the biblical prophets and the life of Yeshua Hamashiach, called Jesus. Long live the prophetic world view for justice! May justice, truth, be ours forever, Jamaica land and people we love.

- Fr Sean Major-Campbell, Anglican priest and advocate for human rights. seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com