Ecological Hermeneutics and the Interpretation of Biblical Texts Yesterday, Today and Onwards: Critical Reflection and Assessment
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The Bible in the American Experience
THE BIBLE IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Press SBL BIBLE AND ITS RECEPTION Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch, General Editor Editorial Board: Brennan Breed Stephen R. Burge Lesleigh Cushing J. Cheryl Exum Helen Leneman Michael Rosenberg Rodney S. Sadler Jr. Robert Paul Seesengood Number 2 Press SBL THE BIBLE IN THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Edited by Claudia Setzer and David A. Shefferman Press SBL Atlanta Copyright © 2020 by SBL Press All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit- ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, SBL Press, 825 Hous- ton Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Setzer, Claudia, editor. | Shefferman, David A., editor. Title: The Bible in the American experience / edited by Claudia Setzer and David A. Shef- ferman. Description: Atlanta : Atlanta : SBL Press, 2020. | Series: Bible and its reception; 2 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019059628 (print) | LCCN 2019059629 (ebook) | ISBN 9781628372748 (paperback) | ISBN 9780884144373 (hardback) | ISBN 9780884144380 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Bible—Influence. | United States—Civilization. | Popular culture—United States. | Religion and culture—United States. Classification: LCC BS538.7 .B56 2020 (print) | LCC BS538.7 (ebook) | DDC 220.0973— dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059628 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059629 Press SBL Contents Abbreviations ...................................................................................................vii Introduction Claudia Setzer and David Shefferman .....................................................1 1. -
The Lynn White Controversy
CHRISTIANITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT: THE LYNN WHITE CONTROVERSY Emily Warde “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitftd and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) N 1966 the historian Lynn White, Jr. delivered an address to the IAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science in which he bluntly asserted that Christianity “bears a huge burden of guilt for the devastation of nature in which the West has been engaged for centuries.” The address was published as an article in the journal Science in 1967. White’s work was controversial in academic and theological circles, and its impact even extended into popular culture. His ideas inspired a vibrant and long-lasting debate, and many scholars subsequently weighed in — some supporting, some revising, and others rejecting the White thesis. Although White first intro duced his thesis in 1966, the debate surrounding his ideas became most notable in the early 19705, spurred on by the prominence of the environmental question in this era. Scholars faced with a surge in concern for the environment in society at large, in their search for the intellectual roots of the crisis, necessarily encountered the White thesis. Although interest in the White argument extended into the 198os and in fact continues in the present, I am concerned here with this earlier era, especially as exemplified by the publication of Ecology and Religion in History in 1974, a book devoted entirely to a scholarly response to White. -
Wednesday November 14, 2012
Wednesday November 14, 2012 8:00 AM 002024 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Dolphin Europe 7 - Third/Lobby Level SEMINAR: Celebrating the COMMunity that Diversely “Does Disney”: Multi -disciplinary and Multi -institutional Approaches to Researching and Teaching About the "World" of Disney Sponsor: Seminars Chairs: Mary-Lou Galician, Arizona State University; Amber Hutchins, Kennesaw State University Presenters: Emily Adams, Abilene Christian University Sharon D. Downey, California State Univ, Long Beach Erika Engstrom, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Sandy French, Radford University Mary-Lou Galician, Arizona State University Cerise L. Glenn, Univ of North Carolina, Greensboro Jennifer A. Guthrie, University of Kansas Jennifer Hays, University of Bergen, Norway Amber Hutchins, Kennesaw State University Jerry L. Johnson, Buena Vista University Lauren Lemley, Abilene Christian University Debra Merskin, University of Oregon David Natharius, Arizona State University Tracey Quigley Holden, University of Delaware Kristin Scroggin, University of Alabama, Huntsville David Zanolla, Western Illinois University 002025 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Dolphin Europe 8 - Third/Lobby Level SEMINAR: COMMunity Impact: Defining the Discipline and Equipping Our Students to Make Everyday Differences Sponsor: Seminars Chair: Darrie Matthew Burrage, Univ of Colorado, Boulder Presenters: Jeremy R. Grossman, University of Georgia Margaret George, Univ of Colorado, Boulder Katie Kethcart, Colorado State University Ashton Mouton, Purdue University Emily Sauter, University of Wisconsin, Madison Eric Burrage, University of Pittsburgh 002027 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM Dolphin Europe 10 - Third/Lobby Level SEMINAR: The Dissertation Writing Journey Sponsor: Seminars Chairs: Sonja K. Foss, Univ of Colorado, Denver; William Waters, University of Houston, Downtown 8:30 AM 003007 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Dolphin Oceanic 3 - Third/Lobby Level PC02: Moving Methodology: 2012 Organizational Communication Division Preconference Sponsor: Preconferences Presenters: Karen Lee Ashcraft, University of Colorado, Boulder J. -
1 Jesus As Champion, Sacrifice, Lover, and Tree of Life: the Christian
1 Jesus as Champion, Sacrifice, Lover, and Tree of Life: The Christian Meeting of History and Metaphor Gail Ramshaw September 2013 Greetings to you all. On this early evening at PLU, I welcome you to a continuation of this full day of presentations and conversations. I am honored to join you all at this conference, and delighted to be among a gang of thinking Lutherans. Since my childhood days, I have been interested in the words that Christian churches use when proclaiming the faith, and this evening, I will describe the two different yet complementary sources of Christian speech, history and metaphor. I hope that my address will prove in some way useful to each one of you. Christianity through history Christianity has generally described itself as a historical religion. By this it is meant that its foundational events genuinely occurred at a specific time and place on this earth, and that those events were recorded by their participants or by writers accurately informed by them. Many of the characters caught up in the Christian story were actual historical persons whose activities can be certified by outside objective sources, not merely by enthusiastic believers. There was, really, a Pontius Pilate, and there is no doubt among even secular historians that there was in the first century a Galilean Jewish itinerant healer and preacher named Jesus of Nazareth. In the past, Christian teachers have found surety in the historical aspect of their religion, asserting that since Jesus did indeed live and die, Christianity had more claim to truth than did, for example, those religions in which the primary stories grew out of the human imagination, rather than out of the pages of news reports. -
View a PDF Version of This Bibliography
Forum on Religion and Ecology Christianity and Ecology Bibliography Bibliography by: Peter W. Bakken, Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies, David C. McDuffie, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the Forum on Religion and Ecology Abbate, Michael. Gardening Eden: How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life, and Our World. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook Press, 2009. Achtemeier, Elizabeth. Nature, God and Pulpit. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1992. Adams, Carol J., ed. Ecofeminism and the Sacred. New York: Continuum, 1993. Albanese, Catherine L. Nature Religion in America: From the Algonkian Indians to the New Age. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1990. American Teilhard Association. Teilhard Studies. American Teilhard Association, 1978- Present. http://teilharddechardin.org/index.php/teilhard-studies Anderson, Bernhard W. From Creation to New Creation: Old Testament Perspectives. Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress, 1994. Anderson, Bernhard W., ed. Creation in the Old Testament. Philadelphia, Pa.: Fortress, 1984. Anglemeyer, Mary, Eleanor R. Seagraves, and Catherine C. LeMaistre, compilers. A Search for Environmental Ethics: An Initial Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1980. Antal, Jim. Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2018. Arendse, Roger A. “The Historical Jesus, Eschatology, and Hope for the Earth?” Scriptura 66 (1998): 245-268. Attfield, Robin. “Christian Attitudes to Nature.” Journal of the History of Ideas 44, no. 3 (1983): 369–86. --------. “Western Traditions and Environmental Ethics.” In Environmental Philosophy: A Collection of Readings, eds. Robert Elliott and Arran Gare, 201–30. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1983. Austin, Richard Cartwright. Reclaiming America: Restoring Nature to Culture. -
CBS -- Next Steps with the Bible Challenge
Next Steps with The Bible Challenge r for B te ib n l i e c C a l e S h t u T d i e s Thousands of people have participated in The Bible Challenge across the United States and around the world. Many participants have said that reading the Bible was the most important spiritual experience of their life. It helped them to see the grand sweep of God’s loving activity in history and made them feel closer to God than ever before. Many have said, “I loved The Bible Challenge, but I now have more questions than when I started.” This is natural. Our questions inspire us to keep reading and learning more. The Bible is a library of 66 books, and we can constantly learn as we strengthen our faith and develop a life-long daily spiritual discipline of reading God’s Word. John Adams, the second President of the United States, read through the entire Bible each year of his adult life, reading the same Bible over and over again. We can wear out a beloved old Bible and highlight verses that inspire, guide and strengthen us. For those who wish to try new things to build upon their Bible learning, we offer these options: Suggestions for further Bible reading 1. Consider reading the Bible in a different translation – Some people read the Bible in a different translation each year. Each translation renders words and verses slightly differently, allowing the Bible to speak in fresh, new ways to us. You may wish to continue reading three chapters of the Old Testament, a psalm and a chapter of the New Testament each day or slow down and read only a chapter of the Old Testament, a psalm and a chapter of the New Testament each day. -
Eco-Critical and Eco-Theological Readings of the Exeter Book Riddles
Suffering, Servitude, Power: Eco-Critical and Eco-Theological Readings of the Exeter Book Riddles by Corinne Elizabeth Dale Royal Holloway, University of London 2015 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 1 2 Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………… p. 4 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………… p. 5 List of Abbreviations…………………………………………………………….. p. 6 Introduction………………………………………………………………………. p. 7 Chapter 1: ‘be sonde, sæwealle neah’: Locating Non-Human Subjects in an Anthropocentric World……………………………. p. 42 Chapter 2: ‘earfoða dæl’: The Groan of Travail in the Exeter Book Ox Riddles……………………………………………………. p. 68 Chapter 3: ‘wrætlic weorc smiþa’: Inverting the Colophon in Riddle 26………………………………………………………….. p. 100 Chapter 4: ‘deope gedolgod’: Wounding and Shaping in Riddles 53 and 73……………………………………………………………. p. 132 Chapter 5: ‘fruman agette / eall of earde’: The Principle of Accountability in Riddle 83…………………………………………. p. 151 Chapter 6: ‘mægene binumen’: The Failure of Human Mastery in the Wine and Mead Riddles…………………………………………… p. 171 Chapter 7: ‘swa ne wenaþ men’: The Limits of Wisdom in Riddle 84 and the Storm Riddles…………………………………………….. p. 193 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………... p. 223 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………….... p. 234 3 Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the advice and support of my supervisor, Dr Jennifer Neville; her guidance has been invaluable and her dedication to both my research project and my professional development has been far more than I could have hoped for. I would like to thank Dr Catherine Nall, Dr Pirkko Koppinen and Professor Adam Roberts for their feedback on various parts of my work, and the members of the Old English Reading Group for their continued company and counsel. -
Teaching Aids
2 What Is Christianity? Teaching Aids p. 4: The painting by Antoni Viladomat (1678–1755) shows St. Francis experiencing a vision during which he received the wounds of the crucified Christ on his own body. p. 5: The Eastern Orthodox icon reveres Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena, who in her excavations in the Holy Land found what she and others considered to be the true cross of Christ. Suggestions, p. 7 6. In Acts 9:2, the emergent community is named the Way. Acts 11:26 reports that in Antioch, the religion was first given the name Christian. Luke wrote the Book of Acts in about 90 CE. 7. The 1985 film Agnes of God, adapted by John Pielmeier from his play by the same name, presents three different views of Christianity. One is held by the convent’s mother superior, a sophisticated adult believer; another by a naïve, perhaps even insane, novice nun, who believes that her pregnancy was the result of a visitation by God; and the third by the critical court-appointed psychiatrist. In the film, the mother superior, played by Anne Bancroft, and the psychiatrist, played by Jane Fonda, argue about the meaning and value of Christian faith. Discussion of the film can contrast the three depictions. Another notable contrast is the many standard crucifixes in the film versus the tree-of-life crucifix heading this chapter. 1. Why is the Bible central to Christianity? Crucifix, p. 9 In about 1200, someone designed a pattern of teaching the meaning of Jesus Christ through biblical references. -
A Material Ecocritical Exploration of Gen. 2:4B–3:24 in the Green Bible
Trees and Text: A Material Ecocritical Exploration of Gen. 2:4b–3:24 in The Green Bible Robin Hamon Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctorate in Philosophy Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies and Department of Philosophy The University of Sheffield November 2018 Abstract In this study, I employ material ecocritical theory to explore both the depiction of trees in Gen. 2:4b–3:24 in the specific text of the Green Bible, and the Green Bible itself as a ‘material-discursive’ object. These two analytical approaches represent two modes of enquiry that are unique to material ecocritical discourse: ‘matter in text’ and ‘matter as text’, respectively. Trees are therefore at the centre of this study. Narrated trees are the focus of my textual analysis of Gen. 2:4b–3:24 and real-world trees are the primary natural material from which the text of the Green Bible is produced out of a complex assemblage of forestry, manufacturing, publication, distribution, marketing, and interpretation. I establish that Bennett’s model of distributive agency is compatible with material ecocritical theory and I employ this model in my methodology. I explore the ‘material-botanical’ features of the trees in Gen. 2:4b–3:24 and the numerous agencies exhibited by these trees. This analysis highlights the extent to which the trees of Gen. 2:4b–3:24 have been overlooked in ecological, narrative-critical, and theological readings of the passage, and allows me to propose a unique solution to why eating from the tree of life is not prohibited by Yhwh. I explore the materiality of Gen. -
Arise from the Encounter Between Biblical Traditions and the Challenges of Contemporary and Future Ecological Issues
arise from the encounter between biblical traditions and the challenges of contemporary and future ecological issues. --------. Ecological Hermeneutics: Biblical, Historical, and Theological Perspectives. London & New York: T&T Clark, 2010. There are two central concerns of the collection of essays that comprise Ecological Hermeneutics: first, to bring biblical and theological perspectives into closer dialogue through ecologically oriented and hermeneutically informed reflection on the Bible; second, to learn critically from the history of interpretation, recognizing that earlier interpreters did not share contemporary ecological concerns and awareness. Ecological Hermeneutics, therefore, attempts to generate hermeneutically aware and critical readings of biblical texts, all of which aim to make constructive contributions to ecotheology. Additionally, the text also attempts to indicate how valuable studies of the history of interpretation can be for ecotheology, as well as illustrate the potential for an ecological hermeneutics to bring a diverse range of scholars together in making constructive attempts to address issues of profound importance. --------. “The Green Bible: A Timely Idea Deeply Flawed.” Expository Times (2010): 180-185. ABSTRACT: This article offers a critical review of the recently published Green Bible (HarperCollins, 2008), a “green-letter edition” intended to enable readers to discover the Bible’s message concerning humanity’s duty to care for creation. Despite the often valuable and stimulating essays and study materials that surround the ‘green-letter edition’ of the biblical text, the idea at the heart of the project is deeply flawed. It fails to do justice to the fact that the biblical material is, as on other ethical issues, profoundly ambivalent, requiring careful and constructive interpretation which is, in turn, open to debate and contestation. -
A New Creation: Reimagining the Beginning, the End and Everything in Between Toward an Evangelical Environmental Ethos Russell Jerrold Pierson George Fox University
Digital Commons @ George Fox University Doctor of Ministry Seminary 1-1-2012 A new creation: reimagining the beginning, the end and everything in between toward an evangelical environmental ethos Russell Jerrold Pierson George Fox University This research is a product of the Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program at George Fox University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Pierson, Russell Jerrold, " A new creation: reimagining the beginning, the end and everything in between toward an evangelical environmental ethos" (2012). Doctor of Ministry. Paper 36. http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/36 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Seminary at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctor of Ministry by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY “A NEW CREATION: REIMAGINING THE BEGINNING, THE END AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN” TOWARD AN EVANGELICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ETHOS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GEORGE FOX EVANGELICAL SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY RUSSELL JERROLD PIERSON PORTLAND, OREGON OCTOBER 2012 George Fox Evangelical Seminary George Fox University Newberg, Oregon CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL ________________________________ D.Min. Dissertation ________________________________ This is to certify that the D.Min. Dissertation of Russell Jerrold Pierson has been approved by the Dissertation Committee on November 6, 2012 as fully adequate in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Global Perspectives Dissertation Committee: Primary Advisor: Steve Lewis, D.Min. Secondary Advisor: Daniel Brunner, PhD. Lead Mentor: Jason Clark, D.Min. -
Study Bibles: an Introduction for Latter-Day Saints
Study Bibles: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints joshua m. sears Joshua M. Sears ([email protected]) is an assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. Behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, . [was] sitting in his chariot . And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? —King James Version, Acts 8:27–28, 30–31 The word Ethiopian, in Luke’s day, referred to anyone with dark or black skin. A eunuch is a castrated male who serves the queen in some ancient societies. Candace is a title and not the specific name of an Ethiopian queen. [The] quotation [is] from Isaiah 53:7–8. —The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints—A Study Bible 1 atter-day Saints revere the Bible as “the bedrock of all Christianity” and L are instructed to feast upon its teachings regularly.2 Although Latter- day Saints appreciate so much about the Bible, many struggle with some of Courtesy of Josh Sears. its language and its deeply contextual messages. Fortunately, special editions Latter-day Saints can benefit from combining the strengths of the King James translation with the strengths of modern translations and from combining the strengths of the study aids in the official Latter-day Saint known as study Bibles can help make the Old and New Testaments much editions of the Bible with the strengths of the study aids in academic study Bibles.