Who is Nadia Bolz-Weber?

Session Four of the Animate: Bible series, Gospels: Unexpected Good News, is presented by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

Nadia is the founding pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints, an innovative, urban Lutheran church in Denver. That church has received wide acclaim for its programs like curbside communion and distributing turkey dinners to people who have to work on Thanksgiving.

Her first book chronicled 24 hours of watching Christian television, and her second book, Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner and Saint, tells of her transition from alcoholic stand-up comic to world-renowned Christian leader.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with her two children and husband (also a Lutheran pastor) in Denver
2. Can usually be found in the gym
3. Has spoken to 35,000 people in the Superdome
4. Collects belt buckles and loves tattoos
5. Has a BA in religious studies from University of Colorado at Boulder and holds an MDiv from the Iliff School of Theology

(Bio from: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/nadia/)

Learn more at Nadia Bolz-Weber's website: http://www.nadiabolzweber.com/

Preparing for Discussion - Testaments: One Story, Two Parts

On Wednesday this week, we'll be discussing session three of Animate: Bible, entitled:  "Testaments: One Story, Two Parts." The DVD presentation for session 3 is by Rachel Held-Evans.

This week's facilitator guide asks us to consider our favorite Bible stories from childhood and what we notice about those stories now that we are adults. We are challenged to think about how we present Bible stories to children and whether or not it is appropriate to simplify stories to make them more child-friendly.

* Take a minute to think through the Biblical stories that are meaningful to you AND the those that don't sit so well. Write a list!

If we clean up and create sanitized versions of the Bible stories for children, what does that mean about how we view God? Are we pitting the "bad" God of the Old Testament against the "good" Jesus of the New Testament?

Rachel Held-Evans uses this quote in her presentation:

* How does this relate to the stories of the Old Testament? What is the point she is trying to make? Does it help you harmonize the two testaments?

* Where do you see God at work, even in the dark places of our current world? 

Scriptures to read (all links go to the English Standard Version at BibleGateway.com):

• Genesis chapters 8-9 
• 1 Kings 6:3
• Leviticus 21:17-20
• Ezekial 5:1-2
• Exodus 16:1-16
• Matthew 4:1-11
• Romans 3:9-20

* Think about what place these scriptures have in the Bible, what they tell us about God and how they link the testaments.

If you'd like to leave a comment, click where it says "comments" below.  Feel free to ask questions or begin the discussion early!

Who is Rachel Held-Evans?

The third session of Animate:Bible, Testaments, is presented by Rachel Held-Evans.

Rachel is considered the preeminent Christian blogger in the world. Her blog, which has thousands of readers every day, is challenging and comforting—covering topics from the role of women in the church to poetry.

She also speaks and writes books. Her first book, Evolving in Monkeytown, is about growing up in the city made famous by the Scopes Trial. Her second, A Year of Biblical Womanhood, is a bestseller about her attempt to live out all of the biblical commandments directed at women for one year.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with her husband in Dayton, Tennessee
2. Loves Alabama football
3. Dressed up as an author for career day in third grade
4. Was named one of Christianity Today’s “50 Women to Watch”
5. Has been featured on NPR, Slate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and Oprah.com

(bio from: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/rachel/)

See Rachel Held Evans' blog at: http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/

Helpful links on the History of the Bible

Here's a written and more comprehensive timeline of the English Bible than what Phyllis Tickle is able to cover in her 7 minute video: English Bible History.

And here is a chart of many of the available versions of the Bible with some interesting notes on how they came to be: Bible Version Chart.

My personal favorite translations are New Revised Standard (NRSV) and English Standard (ESV). NRSV used to be one of the most literal English translations available while still being comprehensible. I like the flow and the poetry of the NRSV. The ESV is currently one of the most literal English translations available. I like it when I want to know the closest possible translation from the original language, though it doesn't flow as well as the NRSV.

Do you have a favorite translation? Write about what translation you like & why in the comments!

Preparing for Discussion - History: Parchment to Pixel

On Wednesday this week, we'll be discussing session two of Animate: Bible. Session two is entitled,  "History: Parchment to Pixel" and is presented by Phyllis Tickle. The primary question is how our access to the Bible changes how we view it.

If you want to do some advance preparation for our discussion on Wednesday, you might begin with the following:

Read Exodus 25:10-22 and think about how the ancient Jews viewed the Word of God. This raises Phyllis Tickle's question of what we gain from our easy access to the Bible and what we lose. Do we lose our sense of reverence? Do we take it for granted? Is that necessarily a bad thing? 

Read John 1:1-5 in several different translations. You can search the Bible by passage and translation at biblegateway.com. Think about how our easy access to various Bible translations has changed our discussion of the Bible.

Read Hebrews 4:12 about the role of the scriptures in the early church. Is that really what this passage is talking about?

In what ways does all of this relate to our discussion of the canon? People did not previously have access to the Bible, much less a canon to discuss. Were they more reliant on prayer, reflection and discernment? How is that different for us?

Are we better off leaving the Bible and its interpretation in the hands of experts? Or in the hands of the masses? What are the dangers of each? 

Please feel free to leave thoughts, comments or other interesting readings in the comments! You can also just add questions you'd like to discuss!

Peace!

Extra-Canonical Books

This is an article on Extra-Canonical Old Testament books, complete with summaries of each:

Extra-Canonical Books Based on the Hebrew Bible.

And a listing of Extra-Canonical New Testament books:

Extracanonical Gospels.

An article about midrash

I found this article helpful in thinking about midrash, the Jewish "family conversation" about the scriptures, the "extra-Biblical" interpretations that seek to fill in the gaps - gaps in the stories and gaps in our understanding:

Is Your Bible as Incomplete as Mine? Participating in a Midrashic Conversation.

Some quotes to spark your interest:

"It [midrash] lives in the thought that there is not “one true meaning” in what is being read; that the text has never been able to communicate itself quite clearly; that there is still an openness in what is being read, to something (anything) “new.” The text, it is thought, gains its life in this gap, flux, ambiguity, and ebb and flow, which history instils in everything..."

 A question I continue to wrestle with is, "What is the role of the community, of the church, and of church tradition in understanding and interpreting scripture, and, moreover, in understanding God?" This article about midrash begs that question yet again.

Who is Phyllis Tickle?

The second session, History, is presented by Phyllis Tickle:

Phyllis’s current career as a Christian author and speaker is really her third career. First she was a Latin and humanities professor at an art college. Then she was the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly.

Among her most notable books are The Divine Hours, which are seasonal books of daily prayer, and The Great Emergence, about the massive transition in which the church currently finds itself. A highly sought-after speaker, she has announced that she will retire from public speaking in 2014.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with her husband on a farm in Lucy, Tennessee
2. Raised nine children
3. A lay Eucharistic minister and lector in the Episcopal church
4. Was the academic dean to the Memphis College of Art
5. Has an honorary LHD from the Berkeley Divinity School of Yale Divinity School and from North Park University

(Bio info from Spark House: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/phyllis/)

Read more on Phyllis Tickle's website: http://www.phyllistickle.com/.

***************
Update on January 24th, 2016: As we prepare to begin another Animate study (Animate: Practices), I realize that it is time to update this post on Phyllis Tickle. Ms. Tickle passed away on September 22nd, 2015, just a year after the Practices study came out. She was 81 and had lung cancer. The New York Times reported:

In May, reflecting on her life, Ms. Tickle told the magazine The Christian Century that she had always been guided by an inner voice, even as she coped with a terminal illness.

“Which is why it doesn’t bother me,” she said. “The dying is my next career.”

She was a powerful woman leader in the Christian community, and her voice will be missed as the community continues to wrestle with the hard issues! We are so glad to be able to continue to learn from her through the books and videos she left behind.

Listen to Brian McLaren speak about Phyllis Tickle's legacy on the Newsworthy with Norsworthy podcast here: Brian McLaren: Phyllis Tickle's Legacy. 

Who is Eric Elnes?

The first session, Canon, is presented by Eric Elnes:

Eric is the pastor of Countryside Community Church in Omaha, Nebraska. Prior to that, he pastored a large UCC church in Phoenix. As a pastor, he pioneered a combination of preaching, worship, and jazz music that can be seen on his online show, Darkwood Brew.

He led a walk from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., to promote awareness of progressive Christian faith, and deliver the Phoenix Affirmations to political leaders. His journey is chronicled in his book, Asphalt Jesus: Finding a New Christian Faith on the Highways of America.

Five fast facts

1. Lives with his wife in Omaha
2. They have two college-age daughters, a dog, and a cat
3. Knows six languages, including biblical Hebrew and Aramaic
4. Was lead author of the Phoenix Affirmations
5. Has a PhD in Old Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary

(Bio info from Spark House: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/voices/eric/)

What's Brewing September/October 2013? Animate:Bible!

In September and October 2013 Morning Blend will be using a DVD study series called Animate: Bible. The following is a list of topics and presenters:








Canon: Mining for the Word – Eric Elnes
History: Parchment to Pixel – Phyllis Tickle
Testaments: One Story, Two Parts – Rachel Held Evans
Gospels: Unexpected Good News – Nadia Bolz-Weber
Genre: Rhythm of the Text – Jose Morales
Interpretation: Scripture Reads Us – Will Willimon
Grace: Love Is the Bottom Line – Jay Bakker

Learn more about Animate: Bible here: http://wearesparkhouse.org/adults/animate/bible/