This Strange and Sacred Scripture
Drawing on biblical scholarship and pastoral insights, this course offers strategies for reading and responding to the Old Testament in ways that are both faithful and constructive.
Description
The Old Testament can seem strange, even disturbing, for many Christians. How do we make sense of texts that portray God as wrathful? Why does the OT contain so much violence? How do we relate to all of the strange laws and rituals? Is there a way to resolve all the contradictions?
Drawing on biblical scholarship and pastoral insights, this course offers strategies for reading and responding to the Old Testament in ways that are both faithful and constructive. Emphasis will be placed on how this sacred text, despite its oddities, can inform Christian faith and practice today.
Scholarships are available for this course, please email us at candlerfoundry@emory.edu for more information.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Continuing Education Units (CEU) are available for this course. There is a processing fee of $25.00, and an Award Letter will be issued once the course has been completed. Please add the CEU Processing Fee at checkout.
Instructor
Dr. Ryan Bonfiglio joined the Candler faculty in 2018 as an Assistant Professor in the Practice of Old Testament. He also serves as director of The Candler Foundry, a new initiative that seeks to bridge the gap between the church and the academy by making seminary-level learning accessible and engaging for the broader public.
He previously taught at Columbia Theological Seminary and served as the John H. Stembler Scholar in Residence at the First Presbyterian Church (USA) of Atlanta. His work through The Candler Foundry offers opportunities for theological exploration outside of Candler’s formal degree programs, including the TheoEd Talks speaker series, in-depth courses led by Candler faculty for churches or communities, and a new initiative supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. that will develop networks of clergy and lay leaders to explore ministry innovations and challenges (see more).