The Conversation
9am – 9:45am Sunday morning greetings and open-ended conversations about faith and life. It’s in the library, where we have a very nice hybrid setup – so join us in person or on zoom
The Bible and God’s Say
Sunday, 9am Conversation Series, September 15 – October 27, 2024.
When we come to worship, we usually hear four bible readings: Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament, Gospel. But what are these different parts of the Bible? Do we have enough background knowledge to understand what we’re hearing?
And what do we make of what we hear? It’s said that the Bible is God’s word. That can sound like a threat. But can it also be a comfort, when we’re confused and overwhelmed and afraid? That God would have a say?
We hope those who are new to church and those who can’t remember much from Sunday School lessons many years ago will benefit from these “Bible 101” conversations.
Some of the topics we hope to cover:
- Introductory session, “What is the Bible,” with opportunity to raise questions you’d like to see us address in subsequent sessions.
- What’s in the Bible, including an outline of the plot that goes from beginning to end, timeline, characters and terms we feel we ought to know but don’t: what’s Old Testament, New Testament, Israel, Judah, Paul, Messiah, Prophets, and so on.
- History: How did the Bible come to be? Why did certain books make the cut, while others didn’t? How has the Bible been used or read through history?
- Interpretation: Will look at a couple of Martin Luther’s surprising ideas about the Bible. How do Jews, Catholics, Evangelicals interpret the Bible differently? Is the Bible authoritative? Clear? Inspired? True? Wrong? Inerrant? Instructive, morally?
- Meaning and Practice: In our society – especially in an election year – we’re overwhelmed by “content” vying for our attention. We scroll from one tiktok to the next. How do we make out God’s voice in all the clamor? Can scripture center us?
