Leading Theologian Urges: "Occupy the Bible!"

Did Jesus have a political agenda?  You bet!  And it’s not what the religious right is selling.

Theologian Susan Thistlethwaite will advance the Bible’s call to overturn structures of economic and political exploitation in our time in a public lecture at Kent United Church of Christ, Tuesday evening.  Author of the newly published #Occupy the Bible: What Jesus Really Said (and Did) About Money and Power (Astor & Blue Books), Thistlethwaite will offer a Christian biblical perspective on a variety of contemporary concerns, including student debt, banking abuses, and the widening gap between rich and poor.  The lecture is free, open to the public, and preceded, at 6 p.m., by a festive Mardi Gras pancake supper in the church’s VanMeter Hall.

Thistlethwaite is a senior fellow of the Center for American Progress, professor of theology at the Chicago Theological Seminary and its former president and writes a weekly column for the Washington Post “On Faith” online section.  An ordained minister of the United Church of Christ since 1974, she is author/editor of numerous books and a frequent media commentator on religion and public events.  Among her most notable publications are Interfaith Just Peacemaking: Alternatives to War, edited with Glen Stassen (United States Institute of Peace, 2008); Adam, Eve and the Genome: Theology in Dialogue with the Human Genome Project (Fortress Press, 2003); Lift Every Voice: Constructing Christian Theologies from the Underside with Mary Potter Engel (Orbis, 1998); Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the United States with Rita Nakashima Brock (Fortress, 1996); and The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Translation (Oxford University Press, 1995).

#Occupy the Bible will be the guide for a Lenten study series at Kent United Church of Christ, Wednesday evenings, 7 to 8:15 p.m., February 20 through March 20, in VanMeter Hall.  The book is available now (e-book and paperback) through Amazon.com. The community is invited to join in these discussions of  #Occupy the Bible and to share in a meal provided by the church at 6 p.m. 

Kent United Church of Christ, located at the intersection of East Main Street with Horning Road on the eastern edge of the Kent State University campus is an Open and Affirming congregation of the 1.2 million member United Church of Christ, emphasizing unity in Christ and respectful dialogue with other traditions, extravagant hospitality, and Christian witness through advocacy and service for social justice.

You may find additional information on the church’s website, www.KentUCC.org, or by calling the church office, 330-673-9534.