Reading the Whole Bible with Integrity: Identifying Context, Identity, Community, and Antisemitism in Christian Hermeneutical Practices

What is the relationship between the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament, where does Jesus fit in, and why do these questions even matter? In the context of the biblical studies classroom for Christian ministerial training, being able to answer these questions is an essential part of effective and responsible biblical interpretation that informs theological reflection, preaching, and ethical social engagement with a diverse world. Nevertheless, within the Christian ministerial training context, there appears to be a dearth of knowledge and understanding about how to approach the Hebrew Bible with integrity to its sources, function, and value within the Jewish tradition as well as the Christian tradition

Why do we see Him naked?: Spiritualised, testified, and sexualised gazes at violence

The focus of this chapter will be on the intersections from the perspective of the viewer and it will reflect on the intimate connection between contemplation and complicity, between veneration and perversion, and between violence, sexuality, testimony and the sacred. What do our politicized, spiritualized, or sexualized gazes at violence imply? Obviously, we do not claim to know what individual persons believe or experience when they are spiritually moved by the crucifixion narratives or its visual representations. Our intention is to critically highlight possible meanings of the fact that this grotesque story of (sexualized) violence has become such an important source for spiritual contemplation. We do so by exploring three dimensions of gazing at the crucified body: the politicized gaze of sexualized violence, the spiritualized gaze of the political violence, and the sexualized gaze of spiritual violence