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Sermons on “Interpreting Scripture”
Cross Vision – Greg Boyd
Greg Boyd shares his journey discovering the “cruciform hermeneutic,” which is a way to read the violent Old Testament portraits of God through the lens of Jesus’ crucifixion. Generations of Christians have drawn on these violent divine portraits to justify their own violence, war, and genocide. Yet, as the fullest revelation of God’s character, Jesus taught and lived a life of non-violent, enemy-love, culminating on his self-sacrifical death on the cross.
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Job – Bonnie St. Jean
The story of Job is one of the most misunderstood sections of the Bible and often over simplified and misconstrued to make God into a moral monster. Bonnie St. Jean addresses the conundrum posed in Job’s story and uncovers its central proposition. It was not written to prove that everything happens for a reason, or that adversities are created to form our character, but rather, our experience of evil comes from a complex web of choices brought on by numerous free wills.
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The Conquest Narratives – Terri Churchill
How do you reconcile the Old Testament God who commands genocidal conquest with the God revealed in Jesus Christ? Through the story of the Israelite conquest of Jericho, Terri shows how to read the conquest narratives honestly and faithfully while still discovering the self-sacrificial, enemy loving God revealed through Jesus.
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The Flood – Abby LeMaire
Many Christians grew up hearing the story of Noah and the flood in a very sanitized, kid-friendly way. People have even pegged the narrative as a kid’s story! Yet, after digging deeper, it’s clear that the story’s violent portrayal of God requires some explanation. How does this story reveal the God we know in Christ Jesus?
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Household Codes
The Frogtown House Church shows how subversive the New Testament household codes were in their historical context. In Christ, the relationships are transformed between master and slave, husband and wife, parent and child.
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Abraham & Isaac – Terri Churchill
The near sacrifice of Isaac, known as the Akedah, is a very troubling story for modern readers. Was God truly testing Abraham’s faith through asking him to murder his son? What was Isaac’s perspective of this experience? Terri wrestles with the text and highlights its difficulties as well as its beauties.
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Wrestling with God – Terri Churchill
Through the story of Jacob wrestling with God, Terri shows how
God’s people are to wrestle with God as we try to discern the depth and
meaning of Scripture.