INVITATION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT
At last, an antidote to the old saw: “I can’t go to Bible study because I don’t know anything about the Bible!” This eight-week in-depth study is modeled after the basic design of DISCIPLE Bible Study, which has enriched more than 1 million lives. Short-Term DISCIPLE Bible Studies make these life-changing courses easier to be a part of for those busy people who are unable to commit to longer studies.
Weekly group meetings are on Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. with a two-part video segment to guide each session with interpretive presentations from biblical scholars; contextual presentations and roundtable discussions; and opportunities for reflection, contemplation, or inspiration.
Weekly Group Session and Format
Gathering Around God’s Word
*Video Presentation and Discussion
Encountering God’s Word in the Text
*Discuss Daily Reading Assignments
*Interpretive exercise concentrating on one focal passage.
Examining God’s Word in Context
*Video Presentation and Discussion
Going Forth with God’s Word
*Discuss of Marks of Discipleship
*Closing Prayers
Invitation to the Old Testament approaches the study of Hebrew Scriptures by inviting you to hear the story of God and God’s calling of the people of Israel through the many “voices” of the biblical text. Narrative, poem, history, and prophetic utterance all have their own distinctive characteristics and purpose, arising out of a particular historical, social, and cultural setting. To understand fully the story of God’s covenantal relationship with Israel calls for listening to these various ways the story is told throughout the Old Testament.
What does it mean to be God’s chosen people? And how does the story of Israel’s covenant with God inform our own identity as heirs of that covenant? Through this study, you will be invited to listen afresh to the witness of the Old Testament to hear God’s call and purpose for your own life and respond to that call.
Study Contents
Jan. 23: 1. The Making of the Hebrew Bible
Jan. 30: 2. The Creation Story of Israel
Feb. 6: 3. Out of Bondage
Feb. 13: No class, school vacation.
Feb. 20: 4. Promise and Problem in the Land
Feb. 27: 5. Israel Has a King
Mar. 6: 6. Division and the Rise of Prophecy
Mar. 13: 7. Exile and Response
Mar. 20: 8. Restoration and Renewal
Authors James D. Tabor – Professor of Christian Origins and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Celia Brewer Sinclair - Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
In additions to the authors, video segments feature these scholars:
Peter E. Enns – Associate Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, PA.
Julia M. O’Brien – Paul and Grace L. Stern Professor of Old Testament at Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, PA.
Please register by January 4 by calling Barb at the office at 426-9998 or e-mail Pastor Mel so that we might order materials. There is a $9.00 cost for the participant book to be collected at the first class. Scholarships are available by contacting Pastor Mel.
