This 6-week seminar invites students to explore how the Bible has been interpreted across cultures and throughout history—and how those interpretations continue to shape conversations about race, justice, and belonging today. Focusing on the Gospels of the New Testament, this course introduces students to global approaches to biblical interpretation that emerge from communities historically marginalized by race, colonialism, gender, disability, and economic injustice.
Students will examine how biblical interpretation has both reinforced systems of racism, colonialism, and exclusion, and inspired movements for justice, liberation, and social transformation. Along the way, we will explore the intersections of race, identity, power, empire, and faith while learning to read Scripture with greater historical awareness, cultural humility, and theological imagination.
- Teacher: Sharon Jacob
- Teacher: Jim Thomas
Revelation: the Bible’s most cinematic, cryptic, and misunderstood book, where dragons, cosmic battles, and apocalyptic visions take center stage. It’s often seen as a grim end-of-the-world forecast, but there’s so much more beneath the surface—hidden critiques, radical hope, and a world of meaning waiting to be uncovered.
In this 4-session course, we’ll not only explore Revelation’s bold critiques of empire and sweeping ecological visions, but we’ll also dig into the hermeneutical tools and methodologies that bring this enigmatic text to life. Through careful analysis of its apocalyptic style, historical context, and symbolic imagery, we’ll uncover a message that’s as relevant today as it was in the ancient world.
This isn’t just a study of Revelation—it’s a masterclass in interpretation, with lively discussions that challenge assumptions and introduce you to fresh perspectives. Ready to crack the code with the right tools and a healthy dose of wit? Let’s decode the Apocalypse and discover its radical relevance for our time!
- Teacher: Sharon Jacob