By
IAO
The CSUC School of Graduate Studies and Research has held its maiden colloquium as part of its mandate to develop the capacity of young lecturers and nurture a culture of interdepartmental collaboration in research. As a foremost private tertiary academic institution in Ghana, CSUC is committed to promoting knowledge for the training of men and women in Christian values and principles, academic and professional excellence for the transformation of society. One of the key ingredients required to achieve this mission is the development of highly qualified research faculty and as such, the CSUC School of Graduate Studies and Research initiates and promotes academic research activities that will help CSUC to achieve its mission and vision.
The Maiden Colloquium
The maiden colloquium was addressed by Rev. Dr. Isaac Boahen, a senior lecturer in the Department of Theology under the topic (ongoing research): “Misinterpretation and Misapplication of scripture: Selected Cases from the Ghanaian Context”. He situated his study in the Ghanaian context and explored strong cases of perceived misinterpretation of scripture which had bedevilled contemporary Ghanaian Christian thought and practice.
Dr. Boaheng cited Klein, Blomberg and Hubbard (2004) to explore and espouse four key challenges in biblical interpretation namely: 1) time distance, 2) cultural distance, 3) geographical distance and 4) linguistic distance. Based on this theoretical foundation, he proceeded to suggest eight general principles of biblical interpretation and used the principles to apply to selected cases of misinterpretation and misapplication. He stimulated the interests of the participants on some of the popular biblical texts that have been “butchered” by uninformed proper exegeses by pastors, evangelists, teachers, prophets and church leaders leading to controversy and wrong application of scripture by Christians.
Recommendations
Based on the focus of the presentation, Rev. Dr. Boaheng made the following recommendations:
- that compulsory theological education should be introduced for all pastors from accredited institutions;
- that the rules of interpretation should be applied meticulously;
- that there should be a more intentional and serious approach to Christian discipleship where personal Bible study is taken more seriously to avoid being deceived by unbiblical teaching;
- that there should be revival and emphasis on the teaching ministry to expose false teachings and consequently enhance the qualitative growth of the church.
Discussion
After the presentation, the moderator, Prof. Samuel Kofi Afrane, commented on the methodology and other rigorous academic demands of a standard research and encouraged the presenter to consider. Prof. Afrane gave the participants the opportunity to ask questions and comments on the presentation. Generally, the questions and answer section were exciting and educative as various questions were asked from the fields of accounting and theology relative to the topic. The programme was led by the Dean of the CSUC School of Graduate Studies and Research, Rev. Prof. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi and was moderated by the President of CSUC, Prof. Samuel Kofi Afrane.
