In reading Galatians Reimagined:Reading through the Eyes of the Vanquished, I find compelling argument that Paul’s letter to the Galatians might have less to do with law and grace and more to do with the political structures of his time than I had ever been taught before. We are being challenged, both by our professor and by this author, to step back in time and to attempt to read Galatians as it might have originally been heard by the recipients. I feel right now that several lifetimes might not give us enough time to research the original message of this (or any) Scripture, let alone to observe our contemporary context enough to speak the heart language of the current listener/reader. Still, we are called to this task as ministers, and as our professor says, we can only do as much as we can do, but we must still attempt to do it well.
I do wonder though, what sort of sermon might develop through this “new” political lens, and to whom it might be relevant. Perhaps to us, who are part of the new Rome, it serves as a reminder that our capitalist, self-idolizing society, despite our claims as the “best country in the world” or as “the new Promised Land”, is on the same level as every other country in God’s eyes. Maybe to those who are under our oppressive dominance it serves as a message of inspiration and hope while to us it is a critique and correction.
I wonder if those who are in positions of power can read without their own perceptions getting in the way. (History seems to have shown otherwise.) Can we, those of us who are part of the dominant society, really read, as Kahl calls us to: with the eyes of the vanquished? It is likely that we cannot do so without relinquishing our power, or rather, without letting our preconceived notions of who we are be re-shaped by the only One who really ought to have any power in the world. Can we read with the eyes of the vanquished? Are we willing?
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