Bill C-9 and a Government-Sanctioned Bible?

The ongoing passage of Bill C-9[1] in Canada has me thinking about past attempts by governments to control the interpretation of various Bible passages.
 
Martin Luther’s German Bible was problematic for both church and state because it allowed for people who could not read the Latin Vulgate to read the Bible in their own tongue. And that could lead to unexpected and unwanted outcomes for those who sought to maintain the status quo.
 
King James I did not like the Geneva Bible due to its marginal comments that seemed to imply it was okay for Christians to overthrow a government. Thus, one of the motives for the creation of the King James Bible!
 
The Nazi government created a Nazi Bible that downplayed the Jewish origins of Jesus and made subtle changes to make the Bible more German and Nazi friendly.
 
There is online chatter about the Chinese government carrying out a project to Sinicize the Bible. If true, it too will no doubt have a government-friendly spin on some texts.
 
I limit my blogs to no more than 800 words, so there is no way I can get into the vast body of theological, historical, and legal literature on the subject of church-state relations.[2] Suffice it to say here that the problem with any government past or present being involved in Bible translation and interpretation is threefold. 

• Theological

 
The state and church need to stay in their own lanes on such matters. While the state has been ordained by God for civil matters, and can use force for justice, it has no authority on matters such as a “correct” interpretation of the Bible. It has no theological grounds for a state-sanctioned imprimatur of correct doctrine. Of course, a government can legislate what it deems to be necessary for civil necessities and human flourishing, but that legislation should not be based on what the state deems to be a partisan state-sanctioned interpretation of a text. 

 






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“[T]he Christian church knows why the state exists – knows, in fact, better than the state itself – and that this understanding provides both the justification for her speaking and the standards which she will apply in evaluating the way in which the authorities exercise their function.” John Howard Yoder

In sum, it is the God-ordained role of the church to determine the meaning of the biblical text, not the state. Of course, the church can speak (carefully) in the public square to give its opinion on moral issues, but it has no expertise on legislation and should let the state do what the state is supposed to do. (But don’t forget, it is the God ordained role of the state to pass legislation, not the church.)

• Practical

 
The state simply has no expertise on such matters as the interpretation of the Bible. To watch politicians tell Canadians what a biblical text should (or should not) mean is deeply troubling. And to watch theologians and clergy become partisan “experts” legitimatizing the state on such matters is very problematic.
 

• Historical

 
There are too many historical examples of state control over how the Bible should be read to make me comfortable with Bill C-9. I am not a prophet, and I have no idea what Bill C-9 will mean for what the Canadian government (and then the courts) sees as a “correct” interpretation of various passages, but I am concerned.
 
In conclusion, I am speaking as a Christian, but the same principle of the state staying out of telling religions what their sacred texts mean applies to other faiths as well. The state needs to get out of the theology business and rather stick to laws that protect and promote justice.

[1] https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/45-1/c-9; https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/pl/charter-charte/c9_2.html

[2] Here is a link to an accessible introduction to some of the issues in church-state relations: https://www.amazon.ca/Five-Views-Church-Politics-Zondervan/dp/0310517923/ref=asc_df_0310517923?mcid=9983778cc5da3e31bb285816d9959d02&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706745563105&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=356831785818799339&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000878&hvtargid=pla-570485749371&psc=1&hvocijid=356831785818799339-0310517923-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1