Julia M. OBrien

I've just encountered powerful curriculum on Joshua.  It's entitled Joshua:  A Journey of Faith and is the 2009-2010 Horizons Bible Study for Presbyterian women.

In a recent  New York Times review of the new movie 2012, Manohla Dargis twice links the destruction-of-the-world movie with the Bible.

One of the fascinating, if maddening, aspects of biblical interpretation is that the story embraced by one community as the greatest good news is often rejected by another as the worst bad news. Take the Exodus story, for example.

In the spring 2010 semester at LTS, I'll be teaching a new course:  Violence and the Bible.

I've never thought of Jesus as meek and mild, but I also never imagined Jesus the way I saw him depicted on a billboard in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a few years ago.

The August 23, 2009, issue of The New York Times Magazine was devoted to how women are faring around the world—their political status, economic standing, and health.

Last night at the Berks County (PA) Theology with a Twist, I spoke about "Violence and the Bible."  We had a good discussion, around tables and as a group.

I'm posting my talking points below.  Maybe they can generate conversation here as well.

Tonight, I'm the guest speaker at the Theology with a Twist meeting at the Kutztown (PA) Tavern.  This program, like ones called Theology on Tap, offers a public option for those interested in theological conversation.  While it is supported by churches, its founders recognize that people inside church buildings aren't the only ones who care about life after death, what the Bible has to say about marriage, the ethics of immigration reform, and a myriad other concerns.

My husband and I recently watched Connie and Carla, a 2004 comedy starring Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette.

Click here for a trailer...

My title at the seminary recently changed:  instead of "Professor of Old Testament," my business card now reads "Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament."   This was my idea. Why did I ask for such a long, cumbersome title?