Theology Matters

In our first case study in texts of terror, we explore the heart-breaking tale of Hagar and Ishmael, a story that highlights the tension between the particularity of God’s promise and the abundance of God’s compassion.

In this opening session, we describe a 4-step method for engaging difficult passages in way that is both critical and constructive.

This week’s session focused on strategies of biblical interpretation, including how we can take the Bible “seriously” without reading it “literally.”

Session 8 From the Theme Park to the Pilgrimage: The End of Roadside Religion In the final two sessions of Roadside Religion, we look at the phenomenon of Bible Theme Parks — that is, amusement parks, museums, and other Christian destination sites that are designed to illustrate biblical themes and ideas. What makes these places so attractive? What theologies do they aim to convey? And how might Christians today recover the idea of “pilgrimage” even if these Bible Theme Parks are not their cup of tea.

Session 7 The National Lampoon's [Christian] Vacation In the final two sessions of Roadside Religion, we look at the phenomenon of Bible Theme Parks — that is, amusement parks, museums, and other Christian destination sites that are designed to illustrate biblical themes and ideas. What makes these places so attractive? What theologies do they aim to convey? And how might Christians today recover the idea of “pilgrimage” even if these Bible Theme Parks are not their cup of tea.

Session 6 Roadside Spirituality Sessions 5 and 6 explore the curious forms of church that can be found in contemporary American Christianity, including the increasingly popular Drive-Thru and Drive-In churches. How does the appearance of a church reflect underlying theologies about what it means to be the body of Christ? How does the rise of new technologies and media influence our understandings of liturgy, mission, and church leadership? And is there a place for more traditional, “big steeple” churches in the brave new world of contemporary ecclesiology?

Session 4 Supplementing Scripture: The End of the Word as We Know It This week, we’ll look at the Biblezine -- the text of the Bible (or parts of it) packaged in a format that looks a lot like People Magazine or US Weekly. What happens to the message of the Bible when it takes on this medium? What motivations – both theological and commercial – lie behind the Biblezine and the big business of Bible publishing? How do these types of “Bibles” influence popular understandings of Scripture and its interpretation?

Session 3 The Biblezine: Scripture Meets US Weekly This week, we’ll look at the Biblezine -- the text of the Bible (or parts of it) packaged in a format that looks a lot like People Magazine or US Weekly. What happens to the message of the Bible when it takes on this medium? What motivations – both theological and commercial – lie behind the Biblezine and the big business of Bible publishing? How do these types of “Bibles” influence popular understandings of Scripture and its interpretation?

Session 2 The Four Laws of Faith: Cliff Notes to the Good News In this session, we critically examine the widely distributed evangelistic track known Four Laws of Faith and how it summarizes and simplifies the good news of God’s message of salvation.

Session 1 Introduction: In Search of the Sacred This opening session explores the idea of Roadside Religion, providing examples of everyday artifacts of faith and discussing why they are worth studying.

Session 8 The Tenth Commandment In the final week of this week, we consider the last six commandments (5-10) and the role they play in establishing a communal ethic for both ancient Israel and the church today.

Session 7 The Final Six Commandments In the final week of this week, we consider the last six commandments (5-10) and the role they play in establishing a communal ethic for both ancient Israel and the church today.

Session 6 Keeping the Sabbath & Honoring Parents The third lecture in this series (session 5-6) consider Commandments 3-5 – not taking the LORD's name in vain, keeping the Sabbath, and honoring parents. Taken together, these three commandments function as a type of bridge that links the worship-focused commandments (##1-2) w with the community-focused commandments (##-6-10). While the content of these commandments are familiar to many Christians, important questions remain about their on-going meaning and relevance for the church today.

Session 5 Taking the Lord's Name in Vain The third lecture in this series (session 5-6) consider Commandments 3-5 – not taking the LORD's name in vain, keeping the Sabbath, and honoring parents. Taken together, these three commandments function as a type of bridge that links the worship-focused commandments (##1-2) w with the community-focused commandments (##-6-10). While the content of these commandments are familiar to many Christians, important questions remain about their on-going meaning and relevance for the church today.

Session 4 No Idols The second week of this class examines the first two commandments of the Decalogue. While these commandments are closely related, they address two distinct theological issues: the improper object of worship (no other gods) and the improper manner of worship (no idols). In each case, we consider the history and theology behind the commandment, including the way in which its meaning is interpreted by later biblical writers and Christian theologians.

Session 3 No Other Gods The second week of this class examines the first two commandments of the Decalogue. While these commandments are closely related, they address two distinct theological issues: the improper object of worship (no other gods) and the improper manner of worship (no idols). In each case, we consider the history and theology behind the commandment, including the way in which its meaning is interpreted by later biblical writers and Christian theologians.

Session 2 Decalogue 101 The second half of this introductory session serves as a “Decalogue 101,” introducing key issues concerning the ordering, nature and historical context of the Ten Commandments.

Session 1 Why Study the Ten Commandments The first half of this introductory session explores the important place of the Ten Commandments, or Decalogue, not only in Judeo-Christian theology and ethics but in also popular culture. Here we encounter the paradox that while the Ten Commandments are highly important and frequently discussed, its content is not widely known.

In our second session we looked more closely at the nature of biblical literature, including how the Bible is best seen not as a book, but rather as a library of diverse texts featuring different perspectives, genres, and purposes.

In this first session, we began to explore some popular misconceptions about the Bible. In response, we introduced the first two (of twelve) theses on the Bible and its interpretation, both of which address the role of the Bible in Christian thought and practice.