Overview of Hebrew Scriptures
Tuesdays, April 9-May 14 7:30 - 9:00 pm Eastern
SCS100 This overview applies an evolutionary lens to reading the Bible. We’ll look at the historical, cultural, and political memes that portray the worldview at the time the Bible was written. And we will meet all the learning objectives of the Unity SEE course. SEE credit is available at UWSI. We will use Rev Pat’s book as the textbook for this course. Evolution in the Bible: An Integral Overview of the Hebrew Scriptures.
This course is the same as the “Book Study” offfered by New Vista.
At Unity Institute & Seminary, I learned a whole new way of reading the Hebrew Bible: through an evolutionary lens. My recent study of the Bible had exposed myth after myth, and I felt uncertain to how to view this book that had meant so much to me and had influenced the world so profoundly. The method my mentor Evelyn “EJ” Niles developed and shared with her students is what redirected my rather dismal attitude about the Bible.
I chose to use the word “Integral” to describe this method. Taking an integral approach means that we can “see” another person’s worldview without judgment. We know we’ve been there, and done that, and we accept that wherever anyone is in their journey is right for them at that time. Our integral practice is to release judgments toward or about that “other” person. As we grow through the natural stages of life, we build our identity around judgments: “this, not that,” and “me, not you.” When we are done with all that ego development, we begin the second part of life, the release of egoic judgments. This is an integral practice.
I am hoping that you will find the study helpful to your process of reconciling with the Bible and that you’ll discover an opportunity to free yourself from negativity around it.