Interpretive Communities

Last week in class we discussed the idea of interpretable communities and how the group in which a particular text is read maybe more important than the text itself. I began to think about this concept and realized how true it is. In the United States there seems to be a heavy influence in the church on the importance of the individual. During the last presidential election one could see the church adopting the platform and the ideals of the Republican Party. Church leaders and church goers could be heard saying on the streets, "It is not fair that we have to support those around us through tax dollars," and "why should I be made to pay because that person couldn't keep his or her job." I know I experienced this in my community and maybe I am being a bit presumptuous to assume everyone else experienced the same thing. I found it troubling because looking at the Bible it seems to me that there is a great emphasis on community, taking care of each other, and most importantly taking care of the poor among us, but why all of the sudden were Christians forsaking these ideals that they had been taught in Sunday School for years and adopting a doctrine of individuality. I think the answer could lie in the fact that the text, in this case the Bible, was not as important as the community, the United States, in which it was being read. But, the more I began to ponder this I wondered what else in the Bible is being reinterpreted by the community in which it is being read? Currently, I am trying to wrestle with this idea and my own interpretation of scripture. I suppose it is important to not forget that as we do read scripture we have access to the Holy Spirit which guides our reading and interpretations...I hope to update later on what I am discovering. ~Julianna Smith