Should we positively discriminate in favour of all non-Protestant perspectives on BH?

Question

It seems to be the case that many of our active contributors hail from Protestant traditions and perspectives. Several folk have expressed concern about this:

• I currently believe there is a strong mainstream evangelical Protestant bias here

• I wonder if it will take an extreme example to help Protestants realize how much bias is allowed here

• I looked around and sometimes answers seem to be for all Christian groups but other times I saw only Protestant theology

• We look like a Christian (Protestant even) site to an outside observer. Given that many of our most active contributors and pro tempore moderators are Protestant Christians, that's not a big surprise. But it is a big concern.

The questions arise:

• whether this is (still) a problem?
  and
• if it is, whether we can help by actively promoting other perspectives here with positive discrimination.

Answer 1

No, we should not positively discriminate in favour of all non-Protestant perspectives

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1. Our site aim to welcome Jewish, Christian, Atheist and other viewpoints as long as they take seriously the process of understanding the Biblical texts should not be understood as an aim that we end up with an equal mix of participants of each group¹. Rather it should be understood that as a site, we are about the 'Biblical texts' and not concerned with religious beliefs² and traditions per se, but only insofar as they intersect with the Biblical texts and their interpretation

2. Protestants are probably highly represented here because of the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. This does not mean that other traditions do not care deeply about the texts and their interpretation, however there is a strand of Protestantism that elevates the texts above everything else, and a site that is explicitly about the texts and nothing else is likely to be especially attractive to those folk. In other words, Protestants are by and large going to be attracted here for the right reasons: ie that "they take seriously the process of understanding the Biblical texts". Therefore to embark on a policy of discriminating against them just for being Protestant would undermine the foundation of the site.

I'm not at all arguing against promoting the site to particular individuals or groups. I am personally very excited when someone from an unfamiliar perspective starts contributing and saddened if they leave. However positive discrimination should not be site policy. The correct and well established approach is to continue to affirm that contributions should show enough of their working to make them useful to folk who don't necessarily agree with their conclusions.

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_{¹ however you choose to delineate groups!
² or religiously loaded words}

Answer 2

No, we should not positively discriminate in favor of all non-Protestant perspectives. However, we should be respectful of others' beliefs by speaking descriptively rather than prescriptively about our beliefs.

1. We should avoid the fallacy that we can somehow require diversity. We certainly welcome diverse perspectives, but what if some questions only have Protestant Christian perspectives? We can't control whether or not Jewish, atheist, and other contributors post answers or not. Neither should we expect every OP to find every perspective useful. The key is they we are respectful of other perspectives and acknowledge that other users may find them to be useful answers—even if we don't.

2. It is undesirable to speak prescriptively about the text in such a way that it implies norms that are expressed as binding on readers. The OP can make the exact same points making it clear that s/he is talking about him/herself without imposing beliefs upon the reader. As another user has helpfully pointed out:

   • This is sometime stated in terms of "descriptive" versus "normative", especially in Brevard Childs's well-known essay on theological commentary. If something is being prescribed for readers of BH.SE, or if the Q&A in some measure is implying norms binding on readers here ... that's a problem. On the other hand, if a Q&A is describing the linguistic, literary, or theological dimensions of the text as it was understood by its authors and reading community in antiquity, then we'll be on safe ground.

3. Speaking descriptively fosters a diverse community where Christian, Jewish, atheist, and other perspectives actually feel welcomed. Like it or not, people don't feel welcome when prescriptive language is used. Here's a few examples from different users in chat:

   • unfortunately, i feel that i am getting preached at when i write my (science based) questions... i know those questions, when based on the text are welcome on BH and that atheists like me are theoretically welcome - being preached at does not reflect at -to me, it shows a lack of respect for my beliefs. This site will be great when it evolves to fully embrace these types of questions...

   • Telling people what to do with their lives is preaching.

   • ...the site is turning into something that i find to be intolerable.... and i'm tired of defending myself against people who reject history and literary criticism.... i dont care for the direction of the site.... i fault the influx of a majority of people who thing that every answer must be necessarily Christological and any challenge to that is met with some sort of guffawing....

   • i am walking away from the site, primarily due to still not being convinced that I can contribute any further - I am an Atheist, and the earlier preaching by a few has left a lingering sour taste

   • le sigh. i suppose like most good things, sometimes you have to wade through sewage to find the treasure. i just dont have the stomach for it so i suppose i'll answer again, at some point, when i dont have to worry about someone's personal theology invading it to the point that it becomes nonsensical.

   • Preaching, or language that assumes we're all in the same church and follow Jesus, or that asserts things that aren't actually found in the text (or even if found, not supported)... those are problems.

   • Others have also expressed their frustration on meta.

I don't want to see positive discrimination towards a specific religious tradition. But I do want all perspectives to be welcomed, and that will require all of us to bracket our beliefs to some extent and step outside of our comfort zones. Speaking descriptively rather than prescriptively is not a difficult burden and will help us work toward making this a reality.