Strands of Mother Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics in Ghana

Abstract

Mother Tongue Biblical Hermeneutics (MTBH) has become an influential interpretive method in Ghana, fostering wider availability and reception of mother-tongue Bibles and integrating indigenous languages into ecclesial discourse. By prioritising African socio-cultural, religious, and linguistic worldviews in the interpretive process, this approach has generated three distinct strands, each with unique emphases. Employing a narrative research method, this study critically examines these strands as developed at the Trinity Theological Seminary, the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, and the Department of Religious Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The study identifies the specific strand of MTBH promoted by each institution and explores how these can be integrated into a unified framework. It argues that harmonising the three strands will strengthen MTBH as a more coherent, resilient, and effective approach to biblical interpretation in the Ghanaian context.