Abstract:
This article examined the role of biblical interpretation amid the world’s water crisis. It
aimed to make biblical texts accessible to non-specialist readers by using several methods of
interpretation. The methods used were a combination of biblical interpretation, revisionist
ecological hermeneutics and empirical research in the form of interviews with young adults
in the Anglican Church in South Africa. This combination was applied to the role of water in
Ezekiel 47. It showed that while traditional biblical interpretation is important for
understanding the biblical context, revisionist ecological hermeneutics can help in
understanding the ecological aspect of the text. This combination fitted the interview results,
in which interviewees shared how learning about ecological aspects helped to make the
Bible more relevant in today’s ecological crisis. A deeper biblical understanding, a
combination of traditional interpretation and ecological hermeneutics, could lead to more
awareness and responsibility among Christians to care for creation. This form of hermeneutics
could be applied to other Bible texts to grow awareness.
CONTRIBUTION: Interviewees argued that there is a lack of awareness in their environments
about the causes and consequences of the ecological crisis. One of the main consequences of
this crisis is related to water, with floods and droughts already becoming more severe. While
this is often overlooked, the Bible could be of use in the water crisis in today’s world. This
article has made a beginning in showing how biblical interpretation can effectively create
climate awareness among churchgoers by speaking to their spirituality.
