Bible stories have shaped my imagination and my understanding of the world. If I bring my questions to the study of these holy stories, do they remain holy? What if I wonder why Lot offered up his virgin daughters (instead of the strangers) to the maddened crowd? What about women being instructed to be silent in the church? Can I still find comfort in the midst of my questions?
Can the fact that Jesus dared to talk with women and even learn from them, that he welcomed the support of women with means, can these things counter-balance the parts of Scripture that unsettle me?
The Bible is the record of my ancestors in the faith, people who worked hard to make sense of who you are, who they were, and how you were at work in their lives. These stories are their testimony, a memoir of their faith. We are writing the next chapter with our lives.
This message is an excerpt from “Holy questions” by Catherine Malotky in the January/February 2018 issue of Gather magazine. Today we remember Philip and James, apostles.
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