De Pere professor pens book on social and political polarization

DE PERE – In an era of increasing social and political polarization, De Pere professor and author Dr. Tom Bolin hopes that responsible biblical interpretation can be a tool used to foster more understanding between people with different opinions.

Bolin has been a college professor for over 30 years and currently teaches at St. Norbert College.

His new book, An Inspired Word in Season: Reading the Bible Responsibly in a Polarized World, aims to make biblical interpretation more accessible to the public and help readers recognize how personal biases shape their understanding of the Bible.

The idea for the book first came to Bolin in 2018 as he observed a surge in immigrant deportations.

“I was seeing people using the Bible to justify certain modern policies, and it occurred to me that there’s a complicated story behind how Americans use the Bible when we’re arguing about social and political issues,” he said. “I thought people might find it worthwhile reading about how we use the Bible in that regard.”

Bolin’s book emphasizes the idea of responsible biblical interpretation, which is particularly important in today’s polarized climate — especially in the age of the internet.

“I don’t want to be one of those people who blames everything on the internet… I think the internet just highlights character traits that we as people have always had,” he said. “But I think the character trait that the internet often highlights is that we tend to dig in when we encounter people who disagree with us.”

He mentioned that this is especially true when it comes to religion, even among those who share similar convictions.

“If you are someone with committed religious beliefs that inform your politics or how you think about society, you’re going to meet people who disagree with you but who also have beliefs that are informed by the Bible,” said Bolin. “So what’s a way of interacting with these people?”

This is where responsible interpretation comes in.

Bolin said that the goal of his book isn’t necessarily understanding the Bible better; it’s learning to have more respectful and open dialogues with those you disagree with.

“We all have to be aware that whatever way we’re interpreting the Bible is partial. We are limited by where we live, when we live, and our own beliefs and cultural limitations. And so being open to people who are reading the same text from different vantage points is a necessary first step,” said Bolin. “We need to have humility when we approach the Bible.”

Bolin recently submitted the corrected page proofs of his book and hopes it will be released this spring.

It will be published by Liturgical Press in Collegeville, Minn, and available at major booksellers and the publisher’s website.