
EPIPHANY BIBLE STUDY: READING THE BIBLE THROUGH DIFFERENT LENSES
Mondays, 7:00 pm, via Zoom Register Here
“All theology comes with an adjective.” So say the scholars behind the podcast, “The Bible for Normal People.” They mean that everyone who reads scripture does so through their own culture and context, including every one of us. This Epiphany, Richard will lead a series of conversations introducing six different contexts (or lenses) for reading scripture. Seeing the bible through multiple lenses increases awareness of our own hidden biases and deepens our understanding of the true breadth of God’s grace. Each session will be stand alone, so you can come to one or come to all. The resources for each session are located below so that you can work at your own pace. You must register in order to get the Zoom link, but you will use the same link for every session you attend.
Contact: Richard
SESSION AND RESOURCES
The material for each session is linked below. Watch, read, listen to, and absorb as much (or as little) of it as you would like. Each session will offer a brief overview of each lens, one or more scripture sections to look at from this angle, and opportunities for sharing, reflecting, and learning.
How Jews and Christians Read Scripture Differently
“We [Jews and Christians] are not reading the same Bible at all and that actually is pretty good, because then we don’t have to wrestle over I got it right and you got it wrong.” — Amy-Jill Levine
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: How Jews and Christians Read the Scripture Differently (podcast, 50 min)
- Read: The Bible for Normal People: How Jews and Christians Read the Scripture Differently (podcast transcript)
- Watch: Amy-Jill Levine & Marc Zvi Brettler, “The Bible With and Without Jesus,” Recorded 4 November 2020. This event was co-sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College. (YouTube, 1 hour)
- Reference: Chart of Biblical Canon Comparison (.pdf).
Womanist Biblical Interpretation
“I think we must wrestle with scripture and we often don’t. We want to come up with something that more rubber stamps our opinion as opposed to looking at the complicated world of the Bible.” — Emilie Townes
- Watch: Dr. Wil Gafney: “Biblical Language for a God Who Transcends Gender” (YouTube, 17 min.)
- Read: Genesis 1:1-2, 26-27; 2:1-4, from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Wil Gafney (pdf, 1 page)
- Listen: The Bible For Normal People: Episode 24: Nyasha Junior – Womanist Biblical Interpretation (podcast, 47 min)
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 105: Wil Gafney – Womanist Midrash (podcast, 40 min).
- Read: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 105 (podcast transcript)
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 228: Emilie Townes – The Wisdom of Hope (podcast, 46 min).
- Read: An Introduction to Womanist Biblical Interpretation, Nyasha Junior (book)
- Read: Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne, Wil Gafney (book)
Native American Biblical Interpretation
“The Bible wasn’t written from a Western worldview, it was written as story. In fact, 90% of Scripture is story. If you don’t understand how to interpret story, you really don’t understand the Scriptures.” – Randy Woodley
- Watch: The Lord’s Prayer – First Nations Version Terry and Darlene Wildman, (YouTube, 3 min)
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 196: Christ Hoklotubbe—The Bible and Native American Spirituality (podcast, 45 min)
- Read: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 196 (podcast transcript)
- Watch: Reading the Bible on Turtle Island” Lecture with Dr. Christopher Hoklotubbe and Dr. Danny Zacharias recorded 28 April 2022. (YouTube, 1 hour, 36 min)
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 185: Randy Woodley – Following Jesus as a Native Traditionalist (podcast, 43 min)
- Read: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 185: Randy Woodley – Following Jesus as a Native Traditionalist (podcast transcript)
- Read: A sample from First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament Terry M Wildman, First Nations Version Translation Council (book)
- Read: Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth Randy Woodley (book)
The Bible and Eco-Theology
“Science, indigenous ecological knowledge, new movements in eco-theology…this convergence of wisdoms is very humbling for Christians. We have to recognize that other people have been smarter about this than Christians have been, at least Western Christians in the last few centuries.” — Debra Rienstra
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 201: Debra Rienstra — Eco-theology: Beyond Stewardship (podcast, 57 min)
- Read: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 201 (podcast transcript)
- Read: Christianity and The Survival of Creation, Wendell Berry (pdf article, 12 pages)
- Watch: Creation and ecology: A Biblical Wisdom perspective recorded 27 March 2021, Katharine Dell, University of Cambridge (YouTube, 11 min)
- Watch: “Living By Refugia Faith” – Debra Rienstra at Douglas UCC recorded 18 September 2022 (YouTube, 19 min)
- Watch: Debra Rienstra – Sustaining Church 2022: Plenary Session 2 recorded 14 July 2022 (Youtube, 1 hour, 16 min)
- Read: Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth Debra Rienstra (book)
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 201: Debra Rienstra — Eco-theology: Beyond Stewardship (podcast, 57 min)
The Bible and Disability Theology
“Moses has a speech disorder, Elijah deals with depression and suicidal ideation, Timothy is chronically ill, the list goes on. Those disabilities aren’t cured in Scripture, yet we erase them when we tell stories. In turn, we erased the way that God is already at work in disability now.” — Dr. Amy Kenny
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 205: Amy Kenny—My Body is Not a Prayer Request (podcast, 46 minutes)
- Transcript available on the podcast page.
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 165: Stephanie Tait—Disability Theology Is For Everyone (podcast, 46 min)
- Transcript available on the podcast page.
- Read: A Biblical View of Disability, Ros Bayes (article, 30 minute read)
- Explore further: Accessibility Toolkit, National Disability Authority of Ireland (website)
- Explore further: Amy Kenny’s website
- Explore further: Stephanie Tait’s website
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 205: Amy Kenny—My Body is Not a Prayer Request (podcast, 46 minutes)
The Bible and Queer Theology
“Christianity was meant to be an inherently scandalous movement. Jesus entered into scandal every opportunity that he could…” — The Rev. Elizabeth Edman
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Episode 14: Matthew Vines – The Bible and The Gay Christian (podcast, 52 minutes)
- Listen: Nomad Podcast: The Rev. Elizabeth Edman – Queer Virtue (podcast, 1 hour, 10 minutes—interview starts at 6 minutes 16 seconds)
- Watch: Queer Theology Panel Discussion, 2021 discussion at St James’s Church Piccadilly (YouTube, 1 hour, 5 minutes).
- Read: The Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng, Galatians, from The Queer Bible Commentary, (6 pages)
- Explore Further: Patrick S. Cheng’s website
- Explore further: Matthew Vine’s website
- Explore Further: Elizabeth Edman’s website
The Bible and Intersex Believers
“We’ve done our theological reflection. We’ve done our biblical study, only thinking about these idealized versions of male and female. That’s not good enough. We have to do our biblical study and our thinking theologically about what it means to be human and what it means to be a faithful Christian in a way that includes everyone in the community.” — Dr. Megan DeFranza
- Listen: The Bible for Normal People: Megan DeFranza: The Bible and Intersex Believers (podcast, 49 minutes)
- Watch: Lianne Simon and Dr. Megan DeFranza: Intersex Christians and the Image of God (YouTube video, 1 hour)
- Listen: Nomad Podcast: The Rev. Rachel Mann – A Trans-Woman Meets a Queer God (podcast, 1 hour 19 minutes, interview starts at 9 minutes 58 seconds)
- Read: From: Presiding From the Broken Middle, by Rachel Mann (2 minute read)
- Explore further: Rachel Mann’s website
- Explore further: Megan DeFranza’s website
- Explore further: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Scripture and the New Science of Gender, (you can watch the trailer for free, but the sessions are available to download for a price).