Sacred Witness or Terror Texts?
Grappling with the Poetics of Rape in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Lecture by Dr. Scholz for the "Mentor Pastor Colloquy"
WHERE: Perkins School of Theology, Dallas, TX
WHEN: January 11, 2010
How do you preach about rape in the Hebrew Bible when in the United States every 2 minutes someone is sexually assaulted, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, when 60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailants, and statistically most church congregants have first- or second-hand knowledge of rape?
The problem gets worsened by the fact that most people believe that way back then women were men's property anyway. To them, these are terror texts that offer little support to contemporary people.
This lecture invites you to step out of such a literalist-historical approach and to become acquainted with a feminist sociology of biblical hermeneutics.
References to specific biblical narratives and poems illustrate that the Old Testament can indeed be read as a "sacred witness" of rape, whether located in the past or the present, and serve as an ethical and theological foundationfor the Christian faith.
For more information, contact dr. scholz at sscholz@smu.edu or call at 214-768-2460.
Also check out dr. scholz's forthcoming book on the topic:
http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Witness-Rape-Hebrew-Bible/dp/0800638611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261436173&sr=8-1
