The Chapel is presenting a four week summer lecture series by our new Pastor Nathan Chambers, who recently completed his doctorate in Old Testament through the University of Durham in England.
See below for the schedule of lectures beginning Tuesday July 16. You can plan to attend one or as many as you are able. He will be focusing on “Reading Genesis 1 as part of the Christian Scriptures”, beginning Tuesday, July 16.
Lectures begin at 7 PM but join us for potluck at 6:15 - bring a hot dish or side dish/dessert to share. Childcare for those 6 and under will be provided.
Week 1 (July 16)—Contexts and Questions
We set the stage by asking about contexts and questions for reading. First, the
questions we put to a text affect our reading. Consider, for example, how we might read
Genesis 1 differently if our starting question is ‘How does this text form me for Christian life?’
instead of ‘How old is the world?’ Second, contexts (both the text’s and ours) influence how we
read. After looking at various questions and contexts for reading Genesis 1, it is proposed that
for the following three sessions, we read Genesis 1 in the context of the Christian canon,
asking ‘How does this text function as Christian Scripture?’
Week 2 (July 23)—Maker of Heaven & Earth
We will begin by looking at how the Christian tradition talks about God (Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit) and God’s relationship to the world (simultaneously transcending and
present to the created order). We then turn to read Genesis 1 in light of these concerns, looking
at how this context focuses our attention on specific details of the text. We will especially ask,
‘Who is God according to Genesis 1?’
Week 3 (July 30)—The World as Creation
We will begin by considering some of the classic ways the Christian tradition
describes the created order: contingent, dependent, and yet very good. Then we will again
read Genesis 1 together in light of these classic descriptions, asking ‘How does Genesis 1
describe the world as creation?’
Week 4 (August 6)—Living as Creatures
This week, our starting point is the Christian claim that humans are made in the image
of God. We then ask ‘What does it mean to live as a creature?’ With these concerns in mind,
we turn to Genesis 1-3 and consider how it depicts the human condition. This leads to both
reflections on our own identity as creatures and to the implications for how we should relate to
other creatures, human and non-human.