Abstract
AbstractAlthough the Netherlands has become one of the most secular countries in the world, the Bible still plays an important role for many people as a source of cultural and spiritual inspiration. Despite extant empirical research, there remains a pressing gap of knowledge concerning the actual use of the Bible by “ordinary readers.” This makes it more difficult for organizations such as the Dutch Bible Society to engage the public with the distribution of Bible translations and inspirational products. This large-scale mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) research project aims to provide both practical (or commercial) and academic insights on Bible reading practices and views on the Bible among Dutch “readers” in various ‘ideological’ contexts. One of the most significant results is that biographical factors appear more indicative for how the Bible is approached than more ‘conventional’ denominational factors such as church affiliation.
Highlights
1.1 Aims of Conducted Research and Research QuestionThe Netherlands may well be one of the most secularized countries of our global community
This helplessness is paired with a surprising scarcity of knowledge in the realms of academia, churches, and society at large concerning the actual use of the Bible by “ordinary readers” in the Netherlands
For more information on Blauw Research, see https://www.blauw.com/en/. 5 The Centre of Contextual Biblical Interpretation (CCBI) is an academic research centre based at the Protestant Theological University and the Faculty of Religion and Theology of the Vrije conducted6 a large-scale mixed-method research project into practices of “ordinary” Bible reading in the Netherlands, in which “ordinary” readers are readers who do not have formal training in Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics
Summary
1.1 Aims of Conducted Research and Research QuestionThe Netherlands may well be one of the most secularized countries of our global community. Perceived importance does not automatically translate into actual significance: a deeper look reveals that churches and society at large seem to be somewhat at a loss as to how to use the Bible, either as a source of culture in general or as a source of religious and spiritual inspiration.. Perceived importance does not automatically translate into actual significance: a deeper look reveals that churches and society at large seem to be somewhat at a loss as to how to use the Bible, either as a source of culture in general or as a source of religious and spiritual inspiration.1 This helplessness is paired with a surprising scarcity of knowledge in the realms of academia, churches, and society at large concerning the actual use of the Bible by “ordinary readers” in the Netherlands.. Perceived importance does not automatically translate into actual significance: a deeper look reveals that churches and society at large seem to be somewhat at a loss as to how to use the Bible, either as a source of culture in general or as a source of religious and spiritual inspiration. This helplessness is paired with a surprising scarcity of knowledge in the realms of academia, churches, and society at large concerning the actual use of the Bible by “ordinary readers” in the Netherlands. This article addresses the gap in knowledge concerning the actual usage of the Bible by presenting a recent empirical research project on the topic.
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