"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."The second annual Summer Scripture Institute will be held on Saturday, June 17, at Holy Spirit at Geist in Fishers, Indiana. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Mark Reasoner of Marian University.
:: Saint Jerome
Ever heard or read some Scripture and drawn a blank? You’re not alone! In fact, one of the great Scripture scholars of all time, Origen of Alexandria and Caesarea, described Scripture as a mansion with locked rooms. He went on to say that each room has a key in its lock, but the key for each room’s unique lock is placed in some other room’s lock! Yet he was able to read and savor Scripture, also regarding it as a feast that offers wonderful nourishment and refreshment.
This talk will give you keys to enter the rooms of Scripture and receive nourishment from God’s Word.
We will practice some reading strategies for making sense of a text that at first makes no sense or a text that is so familiar that you think it has nothing special to say.
We will also brainstorm and plan how to stay engaged and motivated with Scripture in daily life.
Dr. Mark Reasoner is Professor of Biblical Theology at Marian University, where he has taught since 2010. Before that, he taught at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. He is the author of The Strong and the Weak: Romans 14:1 – 15:13 in Context; Romans in Full Circle: A History of Interpretation; Five Models of Scripture; and co-author of The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible. Mark is a parishioner at St. Malachy Catholic Church in Brownsburg, where he and his wife live as empty-nesters.
These three sessions, for those new to deeper reading of the Sacred Scriptures, will cover the Church's theology of revelation, an overview of Catholic biblical interpretation, and introductions to the Old and New Testaments. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the Scriptures were written and compiled, the relationship between the various parts of the Bible, and how the Church interprets the Word of God.
Jonathan F. Sullivan is the manager of catechesis for the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana and has served in diocesan ministry for 15 years. He received his BA in theology and pastoral ministry from Quincy University and his MA from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Jonathan is a regular speaker and writer on catechetical topics. He lives with his wife and children in West Lafayette.
This track consists of three sessions:
Reading Parables in Our Gospels
This session will focus on how to make sense of parables. We will focus especially on the Gospel of Luke and its parables. We will learn to look for how Luke frames the parables he presents, how he presents interior discourse within his parables, and how he points us to Christ through the parables.
When Someone Else’s Mail Becomes Our Mail: The Joy of Reading the New Testament’s Letters
This session will focus on the letter of 1 Corinthians. We will learn to look for clues to the situations behind the New Testament’s letters, and then practice how to “translate” what Paul and other letter writers wrote to a first century audience into relevant discourse for our lives.
The Lamb and the Dragon: Understanding the Book of Revelation
This session will introduce people to the genre of Jewish apocalyptic writing. After surveying basic conventions and symbols used in this genre, we will consider how our New Testament book of Revelation adapts images from Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah for its goal of encouraging Christians facing persecution. In addition we will learn about the pairs of opposites that Revelation presents, such as the lamb and the dragon. Those who endure to the end of this session will also be granted the meaning of the number of the beast, 666!
Dr. Mark Reasoner is Professor of Biblical Theology at Marian University, where he has taught since 2010.
The lectionary cycle for Mass and the typical Catholic approach to homilies does not usually lend itself to study of an entire book of the Bible. Because of this, we often fail to grasp the author’s entire argument with its objectives, themes, sub-themes and vocabulary. In most cases, we have encountered parts of all the books of the Bible, but rarely do we see how a whole book is structured and builds on itself from line-to-line.
In this study of 1 Thessalonians, we will do just that. As we do so we will encounter a number of topics in this first letter of the New Testament that very much apply to the world we live in today.
Rob Hartley is a revert to the Catholic faith and serves as the Diocesan Director of Evangelization, Family Life and Pastoral Ministries in Lafayette. Before his return to the Church in 1999, Rob earned an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Capital Bible Seminary. He has taught Scripture in at two Catholic high schools and for the adult faith formation program for the Archdiocese of Washington (2000-2014).
Time (ET) | Agenda Item |
---|---|
9a | Fellowship |
9:30a | Welcome/Opening Prayer |
9:45a | Keynote Address |
10:45a | Break |
11a | Learning Track – Session I |
12:30p | Lunch |
1:30p | Learning Track – Session II |
3p | Break |
3:15p | Learning Track – Session III |
4:45p | Closing Prayer |
5p | End |
5:30p | Optional Parish Mass |