Deconstructing the Bible

Assoc. Minister Jason sits down with Stephanie Spencer, founder and director of 40 Orchards, a non-profit that invites people to explore the Scriptures in community through the practice of midrash. She is a kind friend and an incredibly smart and gifted Bible teacher.

This episode is part 3 (the final part) of the conversation.

In part 3, Stephanie and Jason talk about the journey of faith that Abraham encountered in contrast to the way that Solomon handled the power and authority he was given as king. Are we the type of people who are discovering ourselves and our calling with God, or are we protecting our position and privilege to the detriment of others?

For more information about 40 Orchards, check out the website below...

https://40orchards.org/

Assoc. Minister Jason sits down with Stephanie Spencer, founder and director of 40 Orchards, a non-profit that invites people to explore the Scriptures in community through the practice of midrash. She is a kind friend and an incredibly smart and gifted Bible teacher.

This episode is part 2 of the conversation.

In part 2, Stephanie and Jason dive into the story of Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel. How can this story transform how we understand our relationship with God? They also talk about Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Mark 12, and what it means to love God with the entirety of our being.

For more information about 40 Orchards, check out the website below...

https://40orchards.org/

"AHHH! This is the episode that I've been waiting for!!" 
Assoc. Minister Jason sits down with Stephanie Spencer, founder and director of 40 Orchards, a non-profit that invites people to explore the Scriptures in community through the practice of midrash. She is a kind friend and an incredibly smart and gifted Bible teacher.

This episode is only part 1 of the conversation, and they barely scratch the surface.

In part 1, Stephanie and Jason get a little background on Stephanie and how she was invited to explore the Bible in the tradition of the Jewish Rabbi's. They talk about how Jesus invited questions and discussion, and how that could impact the way we learn and grow in our own faith.

For more information about 40 Orchards, check out the website below...

https://40orchards.org/

In Episode 4 of Deconstructing the Bible, we look at the Old Testament (or the Hebrew Scriptures) and how it has traditionally been constructed and taught. When observed as simply Israelite history (as most Christian traditions have done), we vastly limit what the text can teach us. But, when observed as part of the Prophetic section (as most Jewish traditions have done...and as Jesus would likely have done), the narrative of God's people can become transformative for us and how we learn what it means to be human.

In Episode 3 we ask two questions.... What is the beginning? What is the end? Knowing where the story began and where the story is headed can help us navigate the middle...where we all find ourselves. It can also help us hold onto hope when Justice and Love seem so far from our reality.

In Episode 2, Associate Minister Jason Steffenhagen explores different ways of reading, interpreting, and finding meaning in the Bible. Often, we've been told to read what the Bible says, to understand a singular meaning, and to apply the teaching in a singular way. But what if there are other ways to read the Bible? What if we learned from Jewish Rabbi's, who have been engaging the Scriptures for 1,000's of years?

References for this episode:

* Midrash: Reading the Bible with Question Marks (Sandy Eisenberg Sasso)
* Daily Meditations - January 7, 2019: Jesus and the Bible (Richard Rohr)

Welcome to Deconstructing the Bible! In this opening episode, Associate Minister Jason Steffenhagen explores what is meant by 'deconstruction' and 'Bible'. This foundation will help us understand the direction for this podcast.  
The Well, a UMC in Rosemount, MN