Reading Romans 8 in Times of Ecological Crisis: an Empirical Study of Dutch Reformed Pietists Interpreting the Bible

Abstract

In this study, we focused on the process of meaning construction for young adults from the reformed pietist community, in the context of ecological crisis. We empirically examined their practice of Bible reading; twelve respondents participated in a focus group (2×6) wherein they discussed an initial and contextual reading of Romans 8. In addition, they answered a brief individual questionnaire. It was found that respondents struggle with questions regarding predestination and human action given God’s promise of liberating the suffering ‘creature’. When they applied the passage to concrete everyday life it was sometimes at odds with their initial reading, and urged a search for new meanings. Concerning human’s ecological responsibility, a ‘secular’ narrative of malleability, i.e. ‘humans thinking too much of themselves’ seemed most troublesome. Yet, when discussing contextual case studies, respondents gave concrete examples of responsibility and Christian stewardship, which were not always in line with typical pietist theology. We conclude that a re-evaluation of their religious meaning system may be of importance for a healthy religious identity formation.