Reading the New Testament: Part 1 of 5

Reading the New Testament is a 5-part class being taught at St. Luke's this month. The Lord willing and the creek don't rise (and there are no technical difficulties) The Voice of the Winged Ox will bring you these presentations in a lightly edited podcast. The topics we will cover are:

1. Expectations and sources for the New Testament writings


2. The four gospels


3. Everything Paul


4. Apocalyptic literature in the New Testament


5. Becoming more active and informed readers of the Bible

Here are some of the obstacles the class identified to reading the Bible:

• Where to begin


• the commitment involved


• I don't know enough to get anything out of it.


• Should I read literally, figuratively, from my own understanding or in some other way?


• We come to the Bible with baggage.


• so many different translations


• Is there a right and a wrong Bible?


• There are groups who insist "their" Bible is the correct one

What do you want to get out of reading the Bible? What are you looking for from the Bible or from this class?

• How do I find the verse(s) of Scripture that pertain to the subject at hand?


• What did the Bible mean to those who wrote it and what does it mean for me today?


• What is the larger story that surrounds our Sunday morning readings?


• Where can I find more background information to expand my understanding of a given text?


• What are helpful books to read in addition to the Bible?


• I look for God to use the Bible as a way to speak to me.


• What What do I do when God doesn't speak to me through the Bible?

In this podcast, we cover:

• class expectations and scope


• origins of the New Testament


• The time in which Jesus lived.


• Who wrote the New Testament?

Correction: The number of laws is 613.




Moscow on the Hudson
Bible Speaks controversy

Our music is Fortune Laisse (Attaingnant), artist: Edward Martin, album: Art of the Lute in Renaissance, available from magnatune.com
Reading the New Testament Part 1