Elizabeth Nawrocki

Listening to the Silenced Woman: How a Decolonial Interpretation of Judges 19 Can Shape Our Missiology

(Oral Presentation)

Abstract:

The broad concern of this research is what it means to be Church in the world.  In light of Gutiérrez’s definition of theology, I critically consider the history of our Christian praxis in light of the Word of God.  But what do we do with our histories that beg to be forgotten and the biblical narratives that we would prefer to avoid?  Critical analysis reveals Christianity’s entangled history with practices of extractive colonialism and the role that biblical interpretation has played in the development of damaging missiologies and historical conquests.  My research suggests that engaging Judges 19 with decolonial tools and analogies can help illuminate these painful histories and the stories of those who have often been forgotten in the development of global political-economic systems.  Such engagement with the text can then inform our missiological interactions with peoples of other cultures while upholding and privileging their specific social location and perspective.