The statements of Graciela Abinader about the organized religion They shook social networks, and reactivated a debate that crosses centuries of Christian thought: how should the Bible be read? From academic reason or from popular faith?
His position, expressed in a TikTok video, is supported by a modern notion of exegesisunderstood as the interpretation criticism and contextual of the sacred text, which consulted Christian pastors refute. Citing the encyclical Divine Afflante Spiritu of Pope Pius XII, the young woman – trained at the University of Notre Dame – defended that biblical reading requires historical, literary and cultural knowledge, not literal or dogmatic acceptance.
His criticismaddressed to the “organized religion“Dominican, is framed in a vision that combines faith with critical thinkingand who distrusts structures that reduce religious experience to the repetition of formulas.
However, his approach contrasts with a local Christian tradition in which the Bible is, above all, a living and accessible word. Miguel NunezBaptist pastor and theologian, agrees that the interpretation requires rigor, but warns that this rigor cannot be born from personal relativism.
For him, the exegesis must abide by the rules of the biblical hermeneuticsa method that seeks to preserve the original meaning of the text within its historical and linguistic framework. Núñez introduces a classic principle here: doctrinal precision as a defense against capricious interpretations.
Interpretation
According to Núñez, the Bible needs a interpretation grammatical-historical, considering words, structures, literary genres and rhetorical figures such as metaphors, similes, hyperboles or parables. Furthermore, he proposes what he calls the Five “C’s” of interpretation biblical: Content, ContextComparison, Culture and Consultation.
Each of these aspects aims to ensure that the biblical message be understood faithfully and deeply: analyze who speaks, what is said, when and where; situate the texts within the immediate context, of the book to which they belong and of the general message of the Bible; compare scriptures with each other and with other related passages; understand the culture of the authors and their environment; and consult the available resources, from different translations and study Bibles to dictionaries, commentaries and studies of the original languages, Hebrew and Greek.
For Núñez, the exegesis It is not an isolated academic exercise, but a tool to teach and apply the word of god precisely. He warns that those who omit this rigor run the risk of propagating wrong interpretations, weakening the faith of believers and generating confusion. The interpretationemphasizes, requires discipline and respect for text integritycombining rational understanding with a responsible spiritual experience.
In contrast, Mario RondonAdventist pastor, considers that Abinader’s position reflects the influence of the religious postmodernismwhich places emphasis on individual experience and distrusts institutional structures. Rondón reminds us that the Bible is made to be understood by anyone who wants to know God and that, although contextual and academic study is valuable, the faith and spiritual discernment remain central elements of the interpretation.
Furthermore, he warns that generalizing about deficiencies in Dominican theological training ignore the existence of high level programs and pastors with doctorates who exercise leadership even outside the country.
Message for everyone
For its part, Ezequiel Molina Sánchezpastor and reference of Dominican evangelism, remembers that the Protestant Reformation of 1517 promoted the bible translation so that anyone could read it, breaking a monopoly of interpretation reserved for clerics.
For Molina, the Bible is a accessible message for all, and the preeminence of preaching over academic scholarship—the “preaching madness” which he quotes in 1 Corinthians 1:18-21—underlines that the spiritual understanding It does not depend solely on intellectual training.
He debate that has been generated with the statements of the young Abinader reflects a historical tension: between the exegesis modern and academic, which seeks a rational and contextual analysis, and the popular faith and direct experience, which value the interpretation spirituality and the accessibility of word of god.
While the young woman and Núñez agree in highlighting the value of critical studyRondón and Molina remember that the Bible was written to be understood by everyone, beyond the titles or the academic rigor.
This contrast shows that the exegesis It is not just a method of interpretationbut also a field of dispute over the authoritythe legitimacy and the application of word of god in contemporary society.
The novelty of the case Graciela Abinader is that this discussion, which was previously limited to pulpits and seminars, is now taking place in digital platformsgenerating a debate public on how to read and teach the Bible in the 21st century.
The case Graciela Abinader shows that the exegesis remains a terrain of dispute between knowledge, authority and spiritual experience, and that the central question remains: who has the legitimacy for interpret the bible and guide the faith in the 21st century?
