Scripture and Tradition: A Series You Don’t Want to Miss!

Announcements, Reading Scripture / By

A church in the northeast has been up to some good stuff lately. I accidentally came across Highrock Covenant Church last year when either Beth Allison Barr (The Making of Biblical Womanhood) or Kristin Du Mez (Jesus and John Wayne) posted on Twitter about speaking for a series on American Evangelicalism. I had been pondering my faith heritage within evangelicalism for several years, and certainly since 2016, trying to make sense of it.  So, I eagerly signed up for the Zoom links to watch the series live and participate in discussion groups. That’s how I encountered resident theologian Scott Rice, his wife Abigail, and other staff at Highrock like pastor Meghan DeJong

Little did I know that Scott would read my books and invite me to be a speaker for the fall 2023 series on Scripture and Tradition to discuss my latest work, The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture. I’m part of a line-up of wonderful scholars including Dennis Edwards (Vice President/Dean; North Park University), Janette Ok (New Testament; Fuller Seminary), Tim Mackie (The Bible Project), and Peter Enns (Old Testament; Eastern University). This will be a fantastic discussion on the meaning of Scripture for our lives. I’m eager to tune in, and I hope you will as well.

The series starts this Tuesday, November 28th from 8-9:00pm Eastern Time. The series is FREE and open to the public. It will run through spring 2024 (about one speaker a month). You can register to receive the Zoom link and more information by clicking HERE. The series will also be recorded, so if you can’t make it to the live Zoom event, still sign up to get details about when and where it will be posted to YouTube.

Image and link to the Theology Lab Scripture and Tradition series featuring, Dennis Edwards, Janette Ok, Tim Mackie, Karen Keen, and Peter Enns.

Highrock is not a flashy megachurch. Nor has it used these stellar theology labs as a means to draw attention to itself. Highrock started these discussions for its own congregational community. For example, when I attended the series on evangelicalism, I was one of the few that was not a Highrock member, despite the line-up of big names. Rather, Highrock was simply trying to create resources for its people to help shape their theological imagination and promote spiritual formation. But as I participated, it quickly became apparent to me that more people need to know about this incredible resource. So far, Highrock’s Theology Lab has done a series on:

You can keep up on Theology Lab happenings through Highrock’s website or Theology Lab Facebook page. You can also find many other helpful presentations beyond Theology Lab on Highrock’s YouTube channel.

Review: Ethics In Ancient Israel by John Barton

Book & Film Reviews, Ethics / By

John Barton is one of the foremost scholars on ethics in ancient Israel and his book on the topic,  Ethics in Ancient Israel, is well worth picking up. John Barton has been working in the realm of ethics and the Old Testament since his dissertation days in the 1970s. His book is a much needed and valuable contribution to biblical studies.

Scholarship in ethics and the Old Testament typically take one of two forms: study of Israelite ethics (descriptive) or study of the Bible for ethical application in modern faith communities (normative). The first tends to be historical in its approach and the latter theological. Some scholars see a vast chasm between Israelite and modern ethics, while others find continuity. But, even those who find continuity (such as Christopher Wright) acknowledge that Christians and Jews today do not subscribe to all of the ethical perspectives of the Israelites. This is not so much the result of modern “enlightened” thinking as a difference in cultural circumstances. This of course begs the question, what does it mean for people of faith today who turn to Scripture for ethical guidance? Barton’s latest book does not answer that question directly (his approach is descriptive), but it provides a foundation for further inquiry.

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Review: The End of Sexual Identity by Jenell Paris

Book & Film Reviews, Sex and Gender / By

In her book, The End of Sexuality Identity, Jenell Paris has an admirable goal: she wants to counter unfair judgment of gay people by doing away with sexual identity labels for everyone. But her approach is not without problems. Some traditionalists argue that using the terms “gay” or “lesbian” is always wrong—even if one is predominantly attracted to the same-sex. A significantly harmful aspect of the ex-gay movement was/is the deceptive phrase “I am no longer gay,” often stated despite continued same-sex attraction. Participants were counseled to only acknowledge an identity in Christ, leading to the false impression that their sexual orientation had changed. Conservative politicians have used these testimonies to fight basic survival rights for gay people (employment, housing, services), claiming that being gay is a choice. Using Paris’s book as a backdrop, I discuss the problem of trying to eliminate sexual identity.

Paris is concerned about the moral superiority that many straight Christians have that cause them to judge those who are gay. She believes the categories “heterosexual” and “homosexual” are unhelpful constructs that create unnecessary division between groups of people. Paris proposes an end to sexual identity. By refusing to take on a label of straight or gay, she hopes to level the playing field as each of us considers the other first and foremost as a human being created by God. Paris, a professor at Messiah College, tells her students that she is not heterosexual—even though she recognizes that her sexual identity is apparent (she is married with children, etc). She argues that she does not want to be heterosexual because she does not want a life of privilege in which other people are marginalized.

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A Few Thoughts on Faith and Historical Criticism

Reading Scripture, Reconstructing Faith / By

Recently, I wrote an article for Logia’s blog entitled, “How Historical Criticism Challenged My Faith . . . Then Strengthened It.” Commonly, when graduate students from evangelical backgrounds continue their studies in theology and the Bible, they encounter truths they didn’t know before, facts that can be unsettling at first. In the article, I share my own journey (as much as one can in a short blog post). If you or anyone you know has felt disoriented or disillusioned when your long-held presuppositions about the Bible are challenged, you might find this article helpful. Here’s an excerpt:

“I began to ask new questions, including what does the world behind the text mean for me as a Christian? At my previous seminary, I was told it didn’t matter because, ultimately, the biblical authors provide their interpretation of history. They selectively reported on events to advance a particular inspired message from God. Other historical facts, then, were superfluous for the spiritual life. And yet, as I studied the world behind the text, I realized it, too, had something truthful to say. Sometimes that truth conflicted with ways I had been taught to read Scripture.

The tension between historical criticism and theological interpretation challenged my faith. In retrospect, that tension was reflected in Prof. G’s response to me. He was an evangelical desiring to be seen as a legitimate scholar within the guild at large. That required him to care about mainstream methodologies. Yet, he hadn’t reconciled the two in his heart. Some part of him believed he needed to suppress religious passion to be a reputable scholar. While my seminary responded to the mainstream guild by ignoring it, Prof. G craved its validation. Neither approach seemed right to me.”

Read the rest at Logia. Logia is an initiative in partnership with The Logos Institute at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. The program and blog site are currently under the oversight of Executive Director, Christa McKirland, who is based out of Carey Baptist College in New Zealand. The initiative was founded in 2017 to address barriers that women face in higher education and theological leadership. The program is “designed a) to highlight the excellence of women already active in leadership in the academy and the church; and b) to develop the excellence of women training for such roles.”

Movie Review: Noah by Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel

Book & Film Reviews, Reading Scripture / By

Have you seen the movie Noah starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly? Given my interest in Old Testament reception history, I could not pass it up. How would two Jewish men today interpret this flood story? The Genesis account itself is a product of unique Israelite interpretation of a common ancient Near Eastern narrative. The story appeared in ancient texts long before Genesis was written. But, the biblical authors offer their own theological perspective on the event.

Similarly, the flood has been the subject of midrash (Jewish interpretation of the biblical text) throughout history. Ancient Jewish writers sought to fill in narrative gaps in Genesis with commentaries like I Enoch and Jubilees. In fact, from these ancient Jewish texts, the movie draws content about the Watchers and Noah’s visit to Methuselah—narrative details not found in most biblical canons. Those Transformer-looking rock creatures in the film might seem like fantasy fiction invented by modern movie makers, but their role did not come out of nowhere. They are the fallen angels of lore—albeit their appearance a bit embellished.  

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Review: The Bible Made Impossible by Christian Smith

Book & Film Reviews, Reading Scripture / By

I recently read Christian Smith’s book The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture (2012) published by Brazos Press. It critiques a form of biblical interpretation that too often treats the Bible in a wooden and rule book fashion, thereby diminishing the richness of Scripture. Having grown up in fundamentalism, I understand the problem he is describing. At the same time, I often felt he did not capture important nuances by choosing to critique the most fundamentalist version of evangelical Scripturreading.

What is Biblicism?

Smith defines biblicism as “a theory about the Bible that emphasizes together its exclusive authority, infallibility, perspicuity, self-sufficiency, internal consistency, self-evident meaning, and universal applicability” (viii). He lists ten assumptions of biblicism:

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FREE 10-Week Book Discussion on the Origins and Interpretation of the Bible

Announcements / By

All you need for this FREE 10-week book discussion is yourself, the book, and a good cup of tea!

What: Intimate conversation with the author, Karen Keen, on her latest book The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture. No lecture. Just one hour of engaging discussion. How did we get the Bible? How do we make sense of Scripture as inspired when it has violence and other difficult texts? Does the Bible still have value today? How should we best interpret it now? This topic is truly near and dear to my heart. I believe this book can have a significant impact on your faith life. Share your thoughts and ask your questions. We will contemplate the material origins of the Bible, theories of inspiration, and how Scripture has been interpreted throughout Christian tradition.

When: Tuesday evenings, September 5th through Nov 14th (no meeting on October 31st)

Time: 8:30-9:30pm EASTERN TIME (5:30-6:30 Pacific / 7:30-8:30pm Central)

REQUIRED: Participants are required to read the weekly assigned chapters of The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture. At the end of each chapter are helpful learning activities, which participants will complete to foster optimal discussion and engagement. The book can be purchased here or at any major book outlet.

Register by September 4th by filling out the form below. Karen looks forward to connecting with you!

“Karen Keen’s The Word of a Humble God: The Origins, Inspiration, and Interpretation of Scripture is perhaps the best comprehensive and accessible introduction to the Bible available today” – Dr. Michael Graves, Wheaton College

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