Scripture in Perspective

By Ginny Finch

“Scripture gives us an entry point into our own human experiences,” Dumbarton’s Chett Pritchett told Adult Ed in the second part of a series on the church’s identity.

To give Dumbartonians an opportunity to find themselves in biblical passages, Pritchett had them form small groups to read and talk about one of four stories: Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, Rahab in Jericho, Jesus and the “man with demons,” or Ruth and Naomi.

Pritchett reminded Dumbartonians the Bible was written by human authors for specific human communities. The perspective of the reader is relevant, and no reading can claim special privilege, he said.

Lively, focused group discussion followed, enabled in large part by these guidelines offered by Pritchett: Are there “roadblocks” in the text? Who are the characters? What events have taken place? Do you identify with any of the characters or concepts? How have you heard this passage in the past? Did you gain any new insights from your group conversations?