Past and Future of Biblical Studies in Australia
A comprehensive history of scholarly achievements in Australia is not possible in a brief essay, and a crystal ball on the future of biblical studies would be ludicrous, but an interpretation of our current situation, poised between past and future, is necessary. We are well into a new crisis of leg...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
[publisher not identified]
[2019]
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In: |
Australian biblical review
Year: 2019, Volume: 67, Pages: 84-96 |
IxTheo Classification: | FB Theological education HA Bible KBS Australia; Oceania |
Further subjects: | B
Cultural Studies
B Biblical Studies B Australia |
Summary: | A comprehensive history of scholarly achievements in Australia is not possible in a brief essay, and a crystal ball on the future of biblical studies would be ludicrous, but an interpretation of our current situation, poised between past and future, is necessary. We are well into a new crisis of legitimacy, so it is time to take stock and do some strategic thinking about the future. The old secularism (which simply opposed an official state religion) is past, and the new secularism opposes even the critical study of religion and theology in state-sponsored universities. The binary contrast between confessional commitments in theological colleges and purely historical interests in universities has, ironically, conspired to undermine the scholarly study of the Bible. A resolutely interdisciplinary approach to biblical studies in Australia would be the most strategic way forward, engaging also with political science, cultural studies, economics, ecology, health sciences and multireligious understandings of spirituality. The distinctive challenges of our regional context need to be given greater priority in measuring research quality and social impact. |
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ISSN: | 0045-0308 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Australian biblical review
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