Westar speaks out: The Bible is not a 21st Century political manifesto

The Westar Institute cannot condone using the Bible for pointed, political gain. Relying on selected and isolated Bible verses to justify separating children from parents in cruel and inhumane acts not only insults the Abrahamic faith traditions, it also turns the Bible into a 21st Century political manifesto. The Bible is full of politics that demand contextual understanding, and the Bible is full of compassion that demands justice in every age.

‍David Galston is the Executive Director of the Westar Institute and the Ecumenical Chaplain at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, where he is also an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy. A co-founder and Academic Advisor of the SnowStar Institute of Religion, a Fellow of the Jesus Seminar, and a United Church minister, David has written several articles and led many workshops on the question of the historical-jesus, the future of Christianity, and the problems of Christian theology in light of the historical-jesus. He is the author of Embracing the Human Jesus (Polebridge Press) and Archives and the Event of God (McGill-Queens Press). David holds a PhD in the Philosophy of Religion from McGill University.