Paper Sample on Bible's Approach to Human Rights: Women, Slavery, Minorities

What has been your understanding of the Bible's approach to human rights regarding women, slavery, minority groups, etc.?

Discussion 2

I can't entirely agree that the Bible's approach towards women, slavery, minority groups are not up to date. The Bible depicts the patriarchal society which regarded women as subordinates in the old testament. Additionally, The Bible contains narratives of women rising in leadership as prophetesses and judges. The slaves' rights were recognized in Colossians 4:1, where the Bible states that masters should provide their slaves with what is right and fair (Rominger, p.35).

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Discussion 2.1

The video explains clearly how the New Testament overturned the ancient view of women, where Jesus elevated the status of women. He taught against the social norms that existed at the time. For example, the scribes and Pharisees demeaned women and punished women found guilty of adultery by stoning (Berger et al. 2005). Jesus showed mercy by condemning the sin and not the sinner. He stood up in the Temple and said the whoever had no sin cast the first stone.

Describe one insight you gained from watching the video and listening to the audio regarding the Bible's view.

Discussion 2

The interpretation of the Bible today should refer to the Old Testament. However, times have changed, and so have the laws applied in ancient times, and I agree that the Holy Spirit should lead preachers in interpreting the Bible lest they distort the meaning (Schultz,.2012). The Bible was translated into different languages so that people could learn about God and have a personal relationship with Him, according to Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Discussion 2.1

One insight I have gained from watching the video is that some of the Bible's stories might put us off and might raise questions about who God is. The stories are a constant reminder that God sees our suffering and sin and frees us from all inequities regardless of gender, social class race (Fox, 2004).

Describe how you can apply this strategy in your work with clients? Give an example.

Discussion 2

I agree that being in leadership requires a lot of patient and courage to impact change. Paul faced many challenges on the road to Damascus, where he faced rejection and ridicule (Stenschke, pp.1-4). However, he was determined and had a goal of spreading the word. In a contemporary setting, bringing change can be challenging, for example dealing with teenagers who have been brainwashed by the entertainment industry. I would develop a strategy where I would emphasize the spiritual impact of secular content and encourage them to change their ways.

Discussion 2.1

Paul began where his audience was by accepting that slavery existed and began to reform them by helping them think and act like Christians in the way they treated slaves. Paul was a great leader who appealed for the freedom of slaves, called out Christians who had backslid, and even challenge Peter as a hypocrite (Cooper, pp.48-61). While working with clients, good Christian leadership involves accepting them as they are and guiding them in the right direction, backed by God's word.

Dr. Witherington also remarks that the apostle Paul was "not out to change the political system as much as having the changes spring up internally." Briefly discuss how this can be an effective strategy. Provide an example if you can.

Discussion 2

I agree that change begins from within. For example, for the judicial systems to change, the people in power must first be willing to change. This goes to the personal values and human regard rather than precedents that tend to favor the wrongdoers.

Discussion 2.1

I agree that impacting change will change the community at large. A good example is the ongoing police brutality that has caused many Americans to protest on the roads against such injustices. In this case, Paul's strategy would be aimed at changing individual police officers by bringing out their humanity and equality to be able to change the police department as a whole.

References

Berger, M. S., Blumenthal, D., Dorff, E., Novak, D., Riccett, A., & Wertheimer, J. (2005). Marriage, sex and family in Judaism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=nRy_AAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Berger,+M.+S.,+Blumenthal,+D.,+Dorff,+E.,+Novak,+D.,+Riccett,+A.,+%26+Wertheimer,+J.+(2005).

Cooper, M. (2005). The transformational leadership of the Apostle Paul: A contextual and biblical leadership for contemporary ministry. Christian Education Journal, 2(1), 48-61. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/073989130500200103

Fox, M. V. (2004). The JPS Bible Commentary: Ecclesiastes. Jewish Publication Society. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/1247

Rominger, L. (2006). The Bible, Commonsense, and Interpretive Context: A Case Study in the Antebellum Debate Over Slavery. Fides et Historia, 38(2), 35.
http://search.proquest.com/openview/de553834a0845c1526b9f482225e48bc/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=5620

Schultz, R. (2012). Out of context: How to avoid misinterpreting the Bible. Baker Books. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=y0zWRJK8xnkC&oi=fnd&pg=PT12&dq=Schultz,+R.+(2012).

Stenschke, C. W. (2017). The leadership challenges of Paul's collection for the saints in Jerusalem: Part II: Overcoming the obstacles on the side of the recipients and of Paul. Verbum et Ecclesia, 38(1), 1-14. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S2074-77052017000100041&script=sci_arttext&tlng=es