While scholars and pundits debate whether in fact we are facing a "Clash of Civilizations" (in Samuel Huntington's words) between the West and Islam, there is a different kind of encounter that is possible in universities in many parts of the world. Christians and Muslims attend classes together, form friendships, compete on intramural teams, and stay up late together sometimes, talking about the deepest questions. While such conversations can't resolve the violent clashes occurring elsewhere, no one knows what might … [Read more...] about Interview: Barbara J. Hampton on “Reading Scripture Together: A Comparative Qur’an and Bible Study Guide”
bible study
Bielo: Bible Study Shapes Identity and Action
In this final post on James Bielo's Words Upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Bible Study, I'm writing about both his final chapter —"Negotiating Self and Others" —and his conclusion. Both are relatively short, and in some ways, they work well together. Negotiating Self and Others In this chapter, Bielo uses as his case study a women's Bible study at the same Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) church as the men's group from an earlier chapter. Specifically, Bielo focuses on how the women in this Bible … [Read more...] about Bielo: Bible Study Shapes Identity and Action
Bielo: Bible Study as “Backstage” for Witnessing
This week, the chapter I'm covering from James S. Bielo's Words Upon the Word: An Ethonography of Evangelical Bible Study is all about “witnessing.” More on what that means in a moment. First, however, I'd like to mention an unexpected cameo. In this chapter, Bielo focuses on a United Methodist Bible study led by Bill, a 51-year-old pastor with a degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. The group, made up of older men, has been reading Acts together. They used the Life Guide series published by InterVarsity Press to … [Read more...] about Bielo: Bible Study as “Backstage” for Witnessing
Bielo: The Textual Economies of Bible Studies
James Bielo's Words Upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study closely observes several Bible studies in Lansing, Michigan. I've been reading and blogging about the book this summer as part of my efforts to gain a sense of the academic perspective on evangelical Christians[1. You may have noticed that Bielo capitalizes "Evangelical," while I don't. The style of our blog has generally been not to capitalize the word, but I've maintained Bielo's own usage in my quotations.]. In this week's chapter, … [Read more...] about Bielo: The Textual Economies of Bible Studies
Bielo: Answering “Are you a Christian? Are you an academic?”
I'm currently reading Words Upon the Word by James S. Bielo, an ethnography of evangelical Bible study groups in Lansing, Michigan. Last week, I looked at Bielo's introduction and the question of Bible study as a cultural institution. This week, I continue with Bielo's first chapter, in which he describes his methods for selecting and observing the Bible study groups. In the progress of his research, two issues with significances to the Emerging Scholars Network arose. The first: the varieties of meaning behind the … [Read more...] about Bielo: Answering “Are you a Christian? Are you an academic?”