General Interest | Old Testament
How do we listen to and proclaim the Old Testament as God’s Word for today? The Old Testament general interest community will focus on the book of Exodus as a touchstone for liberation and faith. A church desperate to hear words of hope may hear many of them in the stories, songs, laws, and even architectural descriptions of this book. These texts depict a formerly enslaved people now liberated from tyranny by God, who enters into a life-giving relationship with them and their descendants. Our group will dig deeply into how Exodus as a whole–and the individual episodes within it–work as literature and theology and how we may engage them in responsible, yet creative, ways. We will explore the circle from exegesis to theology to church life and back again. Anyone interested in understanding the first three-fourths of the Christian Bible more deeply and preaching or teaching it more faithfully will profit from our time together.
COMMUNITY Details
We are honored to have Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby and Dr. Mark Hamilton leading the Old Testament general interest community at Summit this fall. Join with them and other scholars in the field as they examine both the overarching and individual narratives contained within the book of Exodus. Additional details will be available soon.
FACILITATORS
AMY MCLAUGHLIN-SHEASBY
Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby is a professor in the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University, where she specializes in practical theology, homiletics, and wisdom literature. Much of her academic research focuses on the impact of suffering and trauma on the way we speak about God. She is also the Director of Faculty Spiritual Formation at ACU—a role that entails the development of spiritual care for fellow faculty members. In addition to her love for Christian higher education, Amy has always been passionate about congregational ministry. She has worn many different hats in churches around the country, but it was during her time as the preaching minister for a small church in Abilene that she became most passionate about educating and equipping fellow ministers for varied contexts. Amy and her husband, Nathan, currently live in Abilene, Texas, with their two beloved dogs, Enzo and Miles. They are members of Highland Church of Christ, where they enjoy serving in the worship ministry together.
MARK HAMILTON
After ministering several years in congregations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Mark moved to Abilene Christian University in 2000. There he teaches courses in Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament. He has been a visiting professor at Pepperdine University, Lipscomb University, and universities in New Zealand, Ghana, Russia, Croatia, Israel, and South Korea. He has also lectured and preached in many parts of the United States, and several other countries. In addition to his work at Abilene Christian University, Mark served ten and a half years as an elder of the University Church of Christ in Abilene. He preaches and teaches in churches in many locales. Mark is the author of numerous publications and is currently working on several more, including commentaries on Genesis and 1-2 Samuel. Most importantly, he and his wife, Samjung, have two adult children they dearly love.
Additional Speaker
DR. KATHRYN SCHIFFERDECKER
Professor and Elva B. Lovell Chair of Old Testament (Luther Seminary)
Session Information
The Old Testament general interest community can look forward to sessions and discussions led by esteemed Old Testament scholars, Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, Mark Hamilton, and Kathryn Schifferdecker.
THURSDAY MORNING SESSIONS
9:30-10:30 am | Session 1: Introduction | Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby & Dr. Mark Hamilton
10:30-11:30 am | Session 2: Narrative in Exodus | Dr. Mark Hamilton
THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS
1:30-2:30 pm | Session 3: The Law in Exodus | Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker
2:30-2:40 pm | Break
2:40-3:40 pm | Session 4: Ritual in Exodus | Dr. Mark Hamilton
3:40-4:30 pm | Session 5: Text, Hermeneutical Considerations, and Homiletical Possibilities | Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby
FRIDAY MORNING SESSIONS
9:15-10:15 am | Session 6: Holiness in Exodus | Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker
10:15-10:45 am | Session 7: Discussion Panel | Dr. Mark Hamilton, Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, & Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker