Scriptural Imagination: What do we mean when we say the Bible is inspired?

Tuesdays, September 11 – October 30 (8 weeks)
9:30 – 11:00 a.m. • MB303 • Led by Tommy Bratton

If you have ever been captivated by or struggled with the words of the Bible, you are invited to join us for this conversation about the Bible. Whether you read it daily or rarely, we will wrestle with the Bible’s mysteries and challenges as well as explore what the Bible means to us as we live our faith every moment of every day.

Scriptural imagination is a new word for many. In essence, Scriptural imagination enables us to view the world in which we live through the stories and images of the Bible. By imagination, we do not mean that Scripture is fantasy or untrue. Instead, we believe that the Bible provides us the most true way of seeing the world as it is. As we view our world through the lens of a Scriptural imagination, we enter a continuous process of transformation into the way of Jesus, the way of love, for the sake of the world.

As a background, we will consider Rachel Held Evans’ newest book, Inspired: Slaying Giants Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again. Drawing on the best in recent scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, soliloquies, and even a short screenplay. The Bible, she discovers, is not a static work but is a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that is able to equip us to join God’s loving and redemptive work in the world.

Bring your Bible to the group. Contact April Nance at 828.252.4781 or anance @fbca.net to register by September 10. If you would like to purchase Rachel Held Evans’ newest book, email April or pick up a copy at Malaprops.