Abstract
The thesis examines the biblical interpretation of church
members in the light of evidence from social science and
from liberation theology which suggests that such
interpretation will be crucially affected by social
background and by power relations within a society. It
does so in the central chapters by a series of six bible
studies conducted with groups of members from three
different congregations within the Church of Scotland.
Chapter one provides an introduction to the theme.; which
inform this examination. Chapter two describes the
research project and its methodology before chapters three
to eight report the discussions held in the groups.
Chapter nine looks at the results of the discussions in
terms of biblical interpretation and chapter ten returns to
many of the themes outlined in chapter one to see how they
have been developed by the work done in the groups. It is
argued that original suspicions concerning the influence of
power and class have been largely strengthened and that we
can see at work a dominant theology which universalizes
from the experience of a particular group. This leaves
those from without that group with the choice of accepting
a
theology based on the experience of others, or developing
their own, local theology. Chapter eleven concludes the
thesis by looking at how such a development could be
encouraged and enabled.
