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Bishop Kendrick has issued an invitation for our diocese to undertake a special book study through the season of Lent, reading Rachel Held Evans' "Inspired." The purpose of this study is three-fold:
To enhance the bonds that make us one Body in Christ by sharing and studying together;
To provide a poignant guide to assist us in naming and claiming our stories;
To better discern our roles as disciples as shaped by the intersection of biblical stories and our own.
I took special note recently that at each ordination service we hear the candidate[s] proclaim, “I solemnly declare that I believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation..” We are undertaking this study as a way of “inspiring” all rosters of ministry in our diocese to plumb the challenges and comforts of scripture as salvation history. This study is meant to be a tool that you can use individually, in an adult forum, or in a special book study group.
The author, Rachel Held Evans, provides us with her own purpose of this book:
"My aim with this book is to recapture some … Bible magic, but in a way that honors the text for what it is – ancient, complicated, debated, and untidy, both universally relevant and born from a specific context and culture...I hope to show how the Bible can be captivating and true when taken on its own terms, avoiding both strict literalism on the one hand and safe, disinterested liberalism on the other." (pages xxi, xxii)
Bishop Kendrick also chose this book as a way of inviting us to delve deeper into our understanding of scripture and the way we read the Bible as Anglicans. Evans proposes a way of engaging scripture that complements our Anglican lens well and elevates the art of storytelling itself. Drawing on her experience as a journalist, storyteller, and explorer of what it means to live as a Christian, Evans makes the often academic work of biblical interpretation accessible for everyone. No matter the level of seminary education, or lack thereof, she believes that everyone is inspired by stories.
Readers of Inspired are presented with eight categories of biblical stories, each one offering different perspectives and avenues for engaging scripture: Origin Stories, Fish Stories, Deliverance Stories, War Stories, Wisdom Stories, Resistance Stories, Gospel Stories, and Church Stories. Evans encourages us to dig deep, get creative, ask questions, and to use our own sanctified imagination to deepen our resolve to love God and our neighbor. This engagement can then give us new tools and ideas to embark on our own journey of interpretation and ongoing discovery.
In addition to the reading of the book, we will provide a study guide to give you an opportunity for personal or communal sharing and reflection. It is our hope that the Lenten season will enrich your understanding of scripture and break open the life-giving wonders of the Easter celebration.
Joy Blaylock
Dean, School for Ministry
Missioner for Discipleship
In addition to the study guide, accompanying video reflections will support each week's reading. Begins March 3! Link to purchase book.
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