Reading as an Anabaptist?

Lloyd Pietersen was the course director of Advanced Workshop and runs the Anabaptist Studies blog. In his 'about' page he says that 'In particular, as a biblical scholar, I am interested in Anabaptist readings of biblical texts.'

And that's got me thinking.

In the light of the last couple of evenings we've had here in the Birmingham community on Anabaptism (which I've posted about here on the site), Who Were the Anabaptists? and Anabaptist Lives, and the upcoming evening this Thursday when I bare my heart to talk about Why I am an Anabaptist, I've been wondering about what it might mean to conduct Anabaptist readings of biblical texts, what spices are peculiar to the taste, you might say.

So here's a little list of thoughts about what might go into the roux of Anabaptist readings.

The following is a work in progress, and comments and clarifcations are eagerly welcomed!

• Hermeneutic elements

  • Process

    • High value of canonical scriptures;
    • Dependence on Holy Spirit as enabler of reading;
    • Integral rôle of community in process of interpretation for diversity and discernment;
    • Readings measured by life and words of Jesus;

  • Perspective

    • Reading 'from the margins', hearing marginal voices in texts of domination;
    • Reading narrative in a narrative context;
    • Reading 'testimony, advocacy and dispute' in the context of 'contested truth in a post-Christian age' (stealing ideas nakedly from Brueggemann!);
    • ...

• Theological elements

  • Emphasis on the life of Jesus as much as the death and resurrection;
  • Working from the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth as much as the divinity of the Christ of faith;
  • Reading the New Testament in the light of the Gospels, the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament;
  • [needs development]

• Sociological elements

  • A peaceful interpretation that rejects violence and actively pursues shalom;
  • Context of economic and social sharing; [needs clarification]
  • Something about 'hermeneutics of obedience' (borrowing a term from Stuart Murray Williams!)
  • Reading 'in community:'
    • Respecting learning, experience, perspective and maturity …
    • … but not allowing these to overpower the wisdom of the whole inclusive, included community;
  • A non-coercive social ethic;
  • Conversation not lecture;
  • Convinced not coerced;
  • ...

Well, there's the beginning of some ideas. Any thoughts, anyone...?