“Students, Please Submit Your Worst Work”—The Role of VerbatimsPosted on July 4, 2014 by Allison KestenbaumDid the title of this post shock you? What you may be feeling is a glimpse into the experience of seminary students and experienced clergy who have enrolled in clinical pastoral education (CPE) at the Center for Pastoral Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. They have just heard my directions for writing verbatims….With the increase in popularity of service learning and required clinical pastoral education in seminaries, pedagogical tools like verbatims are likely to become more prevalent. I hope that these reflections will provide you with some helpful material to experiment with verbatims or some form of them in your teaching….
Contextualization as an Ethical Practice: Part 2—Unpacking “Machine-Made” Biblical KnowledgePosted on June 2, 2014 by Gregory CuéllarThe cultural iconic status of the Bible in Western society can easily be harnessed for oppressive purposes. This demands an ethical obligation to biblical interpretation that scientific historical methods alone are unable to fulfill….Through contextualization, we are drawn to uncover the social beliefs underwriting the default system present within the field of biblical studies….
Contextualization as an Ethical Practice: Part 1—The Socialized Body of the Biblical ScholarPosted on February 28, 2014 by Gregory CuéllarFor seminary students, lingering too long in the ancient historical distance can lead them to trivialize the text’s contemporary social relevance. Hence, how do we encourage and sustain discussions about pressing social issues alongside lessons on scientific biblical interpretive methods?…