The Word is Near You: Interpreting the Bible in the Community of Faith

This course offers an introduction to the concept “Holy Scripture,” broadly considered, as a reality in the life of the Christian church. Although some attention will be given to what might be called the doctrine of Scripture (including questions of inspiration, canon, hermeneutics, historical-criticism, etc.) the primary focus of the course will be the church’s practice of reading Scripture. We will explore the art of theological exegesis and interpretation by reading a particular text (the Gospel of Mark) together and in the company of exemplary Christian readers.

The aim of the course is to foster loving engagement with the Bible as the Word of God and Christian Scripture in a way that is faith-full, obedient, unapologetic, ecclesial, Trinitarian, confident and that abides by the church’s norms of the “rule of faith” and “sola scriptura.”