The Bible is an essential guide for Christians and Jews, as we seek to develop faithful responses to the ecological crisis that currently defines human existence. Looking at texts from both Testaments, along with contemporary agrarian poetry, Professor Davis will consider how they can awaken and instruct our moral imagination with respect to the world that the biblical writers recognize to be “the work of God’s hands.”
The Lecture in its entirety can be viewed here.
Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Upper Gwinn Commons, SPU campus
Ellen F. Davis, PhD, is Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. The author of 11 books and many articles, her research interests focus on how biblical interpretation bears on the life of faith communities and their response to urgent public issues, particularly the ecological crisis and interfaith relations. Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2009), integrates biblical studies with a critique of industrial agriculture and food production. Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship and Ministry (Westminster John Knox, 2014), explores the prophetic role and word across both testaments of the Christian Bible.
Her most recent books are Preaching the Luminous Word (Eerdmans, 2016), a collection of her sermons and essays, and Opening Israel’s Scriptures (Oxford University Press, 2019), a comprehensive theological reading of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.
A lay Episcopalian, Dr. Davis has long been active as a theological consultant and teacher within the Anglican Communion, especially in East Africa. Her current work explores dance, poetry, and visual arts as modes of interpreting Scripture.
Posted: Wednesday, August 21, 2019