📘 Lexicon Entry: Primitive Biblicism

Short Definition
A hermeneutical approach that claims direct, unmediated access to biblical meaning while bypassing interpretive traditions and contextual considerations
Definition
Primitive Biblicism represents a theological mutation that reduces biblical interpretation to claims of direct, unmediated access to scriptural meaning. This approach bypasses the interpretive traditions, scholarly methods, and contextual considerations that have historically guided faithful biblical interpretation, instead asserting that the "plain meaning" of scripture is immediately accessible to any reader without the mediating work of community, tradition, or scholarly engagement. Unlike authentic biblical faithfulness, which recognizes the need for interpretive wisdom within community, primitive biblicism creates the illusion of objectivity while actually imposing contemporary assumptions onto ancient texts. This mutation underlies much of MAGA Christianism and Providential Identitarianism, providing apparent biblical justification for political and cultural positions through selective literalism.
Category
Theological Mutation
Keywords
hermeneutics, biblical interpretation, literalism, fundamentalism, interpretive tradition, contextual reading, scriptural authority
Citation Guide
Geevarghese-Uffman, Craig. “Primitive Biblicism.” *Political Theology Lexicon*. https://www.commonlifepolitics.com/p/lexicon. Accessed [date].
Orthodox Position
Scripture as divinely inspired witness requiring interpretive wisdom within community tradition
Biblical interpretation as spiritual discipline involving prayer, study, and communal discernment
Recognition that all interpretation involves human mediation and cultural context
Christ as the interpretive center through which all scripture is understood
Mutated Position
Claims of direct, unmediated access to biblical meaning bypassing interpretive traditions
Scripture reduced to collection of proof texts supporting predetermined positions
Denial of interpretive mediation while imposing contemporary cultural assumptions
Selective literalism that ignores genre, context, and canonical considerations
Key Characteristics
Claims to “plain meaning” interpretation while imposing cultural assumptions
Selective literalism that supports predetermined theological or political positions
Rejection of scholarly methods and interpretive traditions as unnecessary or corrupting
Use of scripture as arsenal of proof texts rather than unified witness to Christ
Historical Development
Emerged from 19th-century fundamentalist reaction to higher criticism
Developed through dispensationalist theological frameworks
Amplified by American individualism and anti-intellectual sentiment
Weaponized in contemporary culture wars through selective biblical citation
Theological Distortions
Separation of scripture from interpretive community and tradition
Confusion of cultural assumptions with divine revelation
Reduction of biblical authority to literalistic compliance
Instrumentalization of scripture for non-theological purposes
Biblical Misinterpretation
Ignoring Jesus’s own interpretive methods that prioritize love and justice
Missing the narrative unity of scripture pointing toward Christ
Proof-texting that violates literary and historical context
Imposing modern categories onto ancient texts without cultural translation
Contemporary Expression
Political rhetoric that selectively quotes scripture to support policy positions
Resistance to contextual biblical scholarship in favor of “common sense” reading
Use of biblical language to justify contemporary cultural and political preferences
Denominational conflicts over literal interpretation versus scholarly engagement
MAGA Expression
Selective citation of Old Testament conquest narratives to justify nationalism
Proof-texting to support anti-immigration policies while ignoring hospitality commands
Literalistic reading of Romans 13 to support political authority while ignoring prophetic critique
Cherry-picking verses about gender and sexuality while ignoring economic justice themes
Providential Expression
Reading contemporary American experience back into biblical covenant language
Interpreting divine blessings to Israel as applicable to modern nation-states
Using scripture to justify cultural superiority and ethnic hierarchy
Conflating biblical chosenness with contemporary group identity
Cultural Impact
Undermining of biblical literacy through reduction to proof-texting
Polarization of religious communities around interpretive methods
Weaponization of scripture in political discourse
Alienation of thoughtful believers from biblical engagement
Academic Research
Studies of fundamentalist hermeneutics and their political applications
Research on biblical literacy and interpretive competence in American Christianity
Analysis of proof-texting in contemporary religious and political rhetoric
Key Authors
Kevin Vanhoozer
Stephen E. Fowl
Path Navigation
Key Mutations: Practical Atheism, Binary Apocalypticism, Tribal Epistemology
Contemporary Movements: Christian Nationalism
Theological Alternatives: Analogical Metaphysics, Being With
Historical Context: Cotton Hermeneutic, Cotton Evangelicalism
Last Updated
May 22, 2025
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*This entry is part of the Political Theology Lexicon, accessible exclusively to subscribers. View the complete lexicon to explore related concepts and the full theoretical framework.*
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