Christianity tends to radically mess things up, largely due to misinterpreting and weaponizing the Hebrew Bible. Thanks to the influence of individualism and capitalism, and the allegiance of institutional Christianity and forces of empire, many have forgotten that biblical literature originated from a people who were politically, culturally, socially, economically, and religiously oppressed. We’ll begin by surveying the historical origins of the Hebrew Bible before examining the creation mythology of Genesis, which will serve as our example of a tragically weaponized text: these literatures actively rebel against Babylonian and other ancient Near Eastern mythologies, directly arising from the authors' experience as an enslaved and oppressed people. Understanding the historical contexts in which biblical literatures were written unlocks their meanings, and helps us to interpret them for purposes of personal and social liberation, rather than weaponization and demonization.
These will be the driving questions for the talk: Why is it that the story of the seven days is the only ancient Near Eastern mythology that asserts the threefold goodness of God, the goodness of the created order, and the goodness of humanity? How does this myth actively rebel against the Babylonian myth of creation? And with regard to the story of Adam and Eve, is this really a story about Original Sin, given that the word "sin" (Hebrew chattah) never occurs in the narrative? Is the serpent really evil, or is it an archetypal trickster? Is the exile from the garden really a punishment, or is it a gift that results from our simultaneous pursuit of immortality and knowledge of good and evil?
Dave Gregory failed at becoming a Jesuit priest because the vow of obedience was not for him, and spent over a decade teaching theology in unconventional Catholic schools before opening Ora et Labora. He double majored in philosophy and theology at Georgetown University, holds a master’s in biblical studies from the Claremont School of Theology (where he studied the prophetic and wisdom literatures of the Hebrew Bible), and in 2021 completed a doctorate in educational leadership at Portland State, where his dissertation research focused on how theology teachers in Catholic high schools rebel against standard models of religious education.
All profits from glass pours will benefit the Simone Weil and Dorothy Day Catholic Worker houses in Northeast Portland.
Christianity tends to radically mess things up, largely due to misinterpreting and weaponizing the Hebrew Bible. Thanks to the influence of individualism and capitalism, and the allegiance of institutional Christianity and forces of empire, many have forgotten that biblical literature originated from a people who were politically, culturally, socially, economically, and religiously oppressed. We’ll begin by surveying the historical origins of the Hebrew Bible before examining the creation mythology of Genesis, which will serve as our example of a tragically weaponized text: these literatures actively rebel against Babylonian and other ancient Near Eastern mythologies, directly arising from the authors' experience as an enslaved and oppressed people. Understanding the historical contexts in which biblical literatures were written unlocks their meanings, and helps us to interpret them for purposes of personal and social liberation, rather than weaponization and demonization.
These will be the driving questions for the talk: Why is it that the story of the seven days is the only ancient Near Eastern mythology that asserts the threefold goodness of God, the goodness of the created order, and the goodness of humanity? How does this myth actively rebel against the Babylonian myth of creation? And with regard to the story of Adam and Eve, is this really a story about Original Sin, given that the word "sin" (Hebrew chattah) never occurs in the narrative? Is the serpent really evil, or is it an archetypal trickster? Is the exile from the garden really a punishment, or is it a gift that results from our simultaneous pursuit of immortality and knowledge of good and evil?
Dave Gregory failed at becoming a Jesuit priest because the vow of obedience was not for him, and spent over a decade teaching theology in unconventional Catholic schools before opening Ora et Labora. He double majored in philosophy and theology at Georgetown University, holds a master’s in biblical studies from the Claremont School of Theology (where he studied the prophetic and wisdom literatures of the Hebrew Bible), and in 2021 completed a doctorate in educational leadership at Portland State, where his dissertation research focused on how theology teachers in Catholic high schools rebel against standard models of religious education.
All profits from glass pours will benefit the Simone Weil and Dorothy Day Catholic Worker houses in Northeast Portland.
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