239 Relational Epistemology and the Art of Living Together 7 while visiting the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 5). When Naaman asked what to do when he had to return to his Syrian king with his Rimmon cult and worship, the prophet sent him ‘in peace’ (verse 19). Another Biblical reference was already quoted above, in Section 7.1.3, concerning how Jesus invited the Jewish leaders, if they were without sin, to throw stones at the adulterous woman. The other five references had a more general nature, for example, pertaining to Biblical scripture. During one of the group discussions, the statement was made that ‘we also said that where another perspective differs from the revealed truth in Scripture, we still think that we are right or, at least, that the Bible is right’. Therefore, the group concluded that scriptural truth has to be ‘sowed’, which is a reference to the Biblical language of spreading the word as sowing a seed. Several participants combined this idea of sowing with a humble attitude. One teacher and one student brought this humility into balance with a strong stance on Biblical truth claims, noting a difference between godly truth and human conveying of it: • T1: Well, precisely because of what you just said, that modesty, well that sowing, so really making that Bible central and telling about Jesus and pointing out Jesus, but I also do often pray: Please don’t let me be a barrier between the children and God, with my person and attributes or stupid things, or untruths that I tell or things that don’t make sense. Don’t let me stand between that, but just use me to show the Bible, yes, and then God does it, yes. • St1: I think it’s important to also see the difference between a person and God because, of course, as human beings we are imperfect, so then you can’t rely on anyone, and God is perfect in everything, so there is that difference. A second student and teacher combination responded to the suggestion that this difference might have a relation with the difference between truth as a set or system of beliefs and—as the Bible depicts it—truth as a person: • St2: When I think of a system, I think, yes, that’s something I can understand. But a person has many more sides, kind of. A person is something you can get to know better (…) And persons can also make themselves known. • T2: That also provides for a kind of relaxation. It removes a bit of a cramp. Because if you, with your own inadequacies, succeed in getting a child in your class somewhat interested in Jesus, and you don’t succeed as a teacher in converting that person to Christianity, hey, after a while the
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