For those interested, Dr. Amy Jill Levine, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, is speaking at Otter Creek Church of Christ at 409 Franklin Road tonight at 7. I have heard her speak several times, including last year, and while I might not agree with her on all her points, she has much to teach us as Christians about Scripture and the approaches to it.I'm very much looking forward to it.
15 comments:
sounds like a Jewish name ...
It is. She attends an Orthodox synagogue, although she would call herself more of an agnostic, most likely.
She's pretty much awesome. (How's that for generational slang?) Even if you don't agree with her on everything, she will make you think and point out things that you have never noticed before.
Phil - do you know what she's speaking on tonight?
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, the Bible.
Actually, I don't know at all.
Hilarious, Phil... :)
on what points do you disagree with her?
First and foremost, I think she and I would disagree about Jesus' place in the cosmos. I believe he's the promised Messiah whose salvific act in his death and resurrection brought God's justice to the world and restored the relationship between God and His creation, albeit in a somewhat limited state until the "Restoration of All Things."
I would imaging that she would disagree with me on that.
I heard she was speaking on James. Miss Judy
I can't imagine what one would learn from an agnostic.
Tell you what. I recorded tonight's talk and it was on James, the person, not just the book. If we get her permission to post it, I'll direct you to the link and you can decide for yourself if she has anything to offer.
Also, you can read her book The Misunderstood Jew.
Phil, I'm impressed. You used salvific in a sentence.
Jim, that comes from reading a ton of theology over the last year...
And to my anonymous commenter, you can listen to Dr. Levine's talk from last night at ottercreek.podomatic.com and decide for yourself if she had anything of value to say.
I can't imagine what one would learn from an agnostic.
Seriously??
Here's the thing I really admire about Dr. Levine. She does not look down on, belittle or otherwise shown any disdain for believers and followers of Christ. And she knows that there are things she can learn from us whether or not she shares our beliefs. Can we say the same for how we treat atheists and agnostics? Apparently not. Dr. Levine knows more about the Bible (the WHOLE book) than most Christians will ever hope to know. There is a lot that can be learned from her knowledge and experiences.
(And I know that many, many people don't understand how that is possible and her to still hold agnostic type beliefs but personally, I don't question it. God works in mysterious ways.)
I bet it will be interesting. Wish I knew more about opportunities like this.
Actually Phil, I was present in a small group of about 10 people when she was asked if she believed in God. Her answer was, "it's not a part of my consciousness." Based on this response, I think I would classify her more as an atheist than agnostic.
Daren
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