Posts Tagged ‘Bible study’
God as laboring woman
While there were many images in Winner’s book, Wearing God, that helped us grow in our understanding of God, the image of God as laboring woman (or nursing mother) wasn’t one that many people at Campus Edge could appreciate. This is probably due to the fact that most people at Campus Edge do not have children; yet,…
Read MoreHow does evolution affect the image of God as Creator?
Steve, one of Campus Edge’s board members, has spent a lot of time pondering how evolution affects our understanding of God. Two pieces of work that he has written explore how evolution can point to God’s power and awe-inspiring work. He put together a blend of the words of David (Psalm 8 and 104) and…
Read MoreGod who provides
As much as I believe that God provides, I find it hard to live that way. Even if I believe that Jesus is the bread of life, I treat him a lot like I treat bread: as an extra to a meal, instead of being the basic sustenance of life. I am tempted, like Sara…
Read MoreWhose image of God fits? Sara’s or Hagar’s?
Genesis 16 presents several images of God. One is that of Hagar, who calls God the one who sees her. The other is that of Sara, who speaks the following way about God: ‘The Lord has kept me from having children’ (v. 2) and ‘May the Lord judge between you [Abraham] and me (v.5).’ The contrast between the images…
Read MoreThe God who I (will) see
In Genesis 16, Hagar names God, ‘The God who sees me,’ because she says she has now seen the one who sees her. God had found her in the desert and told her that she would give birth to a fiercely independent son, a son who would be called Ishmael, meaning God hears. As the text does not indicate…
Read MorePracticing hospitality – a sermon excerpt on Romans 12
The following is excerpted from a sermon that I preached at a wedding earlier this summer: When most of us hear the word hospitality we think of an elegant house with fine dishes and a delicious meal. There is polite conversation and good guests go home at the proper time. But, sooner or later, the…
Read MoreReflections on Ecclesiastes from a previous study
While most people do not particularly enjoy the book of Ecclesiastes, it has a particular appeal to graduate students. There’s something about all the assignments that need doing, the high stress, and the uncertainty of the job market that allow the words of Ecclesiastes to be words of truth and hope. So it should not…
Read MoreReligion, Academia, and Pluralism
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, pluralism is “a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization.” On the basis of this definition, it is almost impossible to live in today’s society without being…
Read MoreJust Job. Just Listening.
One way to appreciate any book of the Bible is simply to dig in and read it. The problem is, who has time and energy to do that? Even if it only takes a bit more than an hour to read, there is so much else vying for our attention and needing to be done.…
Read MoreExperiencing the book of Job
One of the ways in which we’ve entered into the text of Job is through something called Bibliodrama. Bibliodrama invites people to place themselves into the story; one takes a specific moment in the text and explores what a character in the story might have been feeling or thinking at that time. We looked at…
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