Love Beyond Tradition

It is essential to recognize that human understanding evolves, and our interpretation of sacred texts must also grow in response to deeper insights into justice, love, and compassion. The Bible, like all ancient texts, reflects the context of its time, but that does not mean we are bound to perpetuate every ancient cultural norm. Just as we now reject biblical justifications for slavery, we are called to examine how we treat marginalized groups today.

It is that God sides with the powerless. God liberates the oppressed. God suffers with the suffering and groans toward the reconciliation of all things. Profound care must be shown to those labeled as outsiders, reminding us that love is not conditional. If we take the message of compassion seriously, we cannot ignore the suffering of those who have been excluded from full participation in our communities and society. To move forward, we must apply the spirit of these teachings to critique any form of domination or exclusion. The way out, however, is not to deny the sexism in Scripture, but to develop an interpretive theory that judges even Scripture in the light of deeper truths.

The Bible thus contains the principles of its own correction. We are freed from bibliolatry, the worship of the Bible. The imperative is clear—love demands that we stand with the oppressed.