What Bible Do We Read?
Thursday, January 8, 2026
We do not all follow the same Jesus. We also do not all read the same Bible.
—Whitney Wilkinson Arreche, “Talking Book”
Minister and theologian Whitney Wilkinson Arreche compares the Bible that was preached to enslaved Africans with the good news they encountered while worshipping in clandestine hush harbor gatherings:
When enslaved Africans were taught the Bible, it was a heavily redacted version. The Exodus was removed, as was most of the Old Testament. References to racial unity disappeared, as did the entire book of Revelation. Scripture was butchered by white supremacy, leaving only what was good news to white people. Masters and pastors charged with the spiritual “care” of enslaved persons instead leaned heavily upon Paul…. Scripture was also forced into a sort of smiling compliance: writings about slaves obeying masters were elevated to supra-canonical status. This slave Bible was unequivocal when it came to obedience and submission….
In the hush harbors, enslaved Africans taught one another a different Bible. They pointed to and created a new reality. Through story-songs, they learned of an Exodus where the liberation of enslaved people was God’s primary concern. As Noel Erskine writes, “Down in the hush arbors, enslaved people … learned early to gather to worship and strategize under the cover of night or under the cover of the woods where a redefinition of their status took place.” [1] Under cover, hidden in plain sight for those with eyes to see, they learned of prophets who called out greed, especially money gained through unjust means. They learned of a Jesus who was very different from that so-called “good” ship [named “Jesus” used in the Transatlantic Slave Trade]; a Jesus who, like his mother, cast down the mighty from their thrones, filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty (Luke 1:46–55). They learned of a fire-in-the-bones Spirit poured out on all flesh, even and especially enslaved flesh (Acts 2:1–21). They learned of a Revelation of all that is wrong being turned upside down, in a flourishing garden not tended by enslaved labor (Revelation 22). This talking book was the antidote to slavery’s prooftexted shouting.
Arreche cautions us against reading Scripture in oppressive ways:
That antidote is still sorely needed in a church and theology that continues to perpetuate the prooftexted lies of white supremacy. These lies come in many forms. They appear as an overrepresentation of Paul’s words, particularly his words about submission and obedience. They also appear as ideas that the New Testament renders the Old obsolete, or worse, evil….
If we only read, teach, and preach the New Testament, particularly when we heavily center the writings attributed to Paul, we are perpetuating a plantation church ethic of Scripture. If, instead, we center narratives of liberation and survival, refusing to sanitize Jesus and refusing to spiritualize physical freedom, we get closer to the hush harbor. We get closer to the power of the Talking Book. We get closer to what can actually be called gospel—good news.
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Sarah Young, Jesus Calling
Jesus Calling: January 8
Softly I announce My Presence. Shimmering hues of radiance tap gently at your consciousness, seeking entrance. Though I have all Power in heaven and on earth, I am infinitely tender with you. The weaker you are, the more gently I approach you. Let your weakness be a door to My presence. Whenever you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present Help.
Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity. Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I hear the weight of your burdens; thus, you are enlightened. Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of Light will reach you through the darkness.
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 46:1 NLT
Psalm 46
For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah, to be sung by soprano voices.[a]
1 God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
Romans 12:12 NLT
12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 15:13 NLT
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Key questions for reflection:
Where have I learned a version of Scripture that emphasized control, compliance, or silence—and where do I sense Jesus inviting me toward a more liberating “good news”?
As truth is being uncovered—personally or collectively—what does it look like for me to cling to hope as a ‘golden cord,’ trusting Jesus to be both gentle with my weakness and faithful to bring light?
“Jesus, what do you want me to know or remember today about who you are… and who I am becoming?”
