Interview with Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga (Part 2)

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This is the second part of a short interview with Bishop em. Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga in Riga who participates in our series on gender roles in church and society. The questions refer to our online-event on September 17.: "Paradiese Lost or Paradise Regained | Women's perspectives on Prophesy and Ecology"

What role do the prophesies of the Bible play in the lives of women today and in these very different countries?
This is a very good question, and one that I find difficult to answer. In general, most people cannot apply the entirety of the Bible to their lives, so we tend to integrate those parts that are most relevant to us. For women living in hopeless situations – where do they find hope in Scripture? – maybe even in Revelation, which, although difficult, at least promises us that no wars or torments are eternal. Perhaps Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus presents a manifesto of justice, grace and love? – although very few people have been able to put it into daily practice, it still holds out the hope that life can be better, that we can be better.

Do women interpret prophecies or the apocalypse differently from men?
Yes! But not all women interpret them in the same way. So a feminist theologian will have a different viewpoint from a Southern Baptist tradwife. This would be an interesting theme for deeper research, but Mary Streufert has pointed out that within USA feminist, womanist and mujerista theologians have very different hermeneutical standpoints.

Are the Christian Churches an opportunity or rather a challenge?
Perhaps the greatest opportunity for real change, for real vision and a speaking of truth to power come from within churches, which are not tied, for instance, to electoral cycles, but are able to think and act with a much longer term vision. This is even more true of ecumenical and international church agencies and communions, such as the World Council ofChurches, World Communion of Reformed Churches and so on.
At the same time, and especially where churches espouse a traditionalist, fundamentalist or misogynistic theology, they can be a terrible hindrance to all issues of justice, and therefore to the whole concept of Biblical justice. 

Thank you, Jāna

Part 1 of this interview was posted here yesterday… Tomorrow you can read on our onlien conference in September.