St. John’s Book Club
ANNOUNCING THE FORMATION OF THE ST JOHN'S BOOK CLUB!!!
The St John's Book Club
The St John's Book Club meets on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 4:00-5:30 PM in the library.
The current book club selection is The Widening of God's Mercy, Sexuality with the Biblical Story by Christopher Hays and Richard Hays.
Book Club will be held on Wednesdays, January 7 & 21 and February 4 & 18, in the library, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This discussion will be led by Bob Conover. If you have questions, Bob's email is robertconover@gmail.com. The reading schedule will be as follows:
Jan 7, pages 1-60;
Jan 21, pages 61-121;
Feb 4, pages 122-175;
Feb 18, pages 176-226
Books are available at Copperfield's. All are welcome!
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Discussions of the Bible and human sexuality often focus on a scattered handful of specific passages. But arguments about this same set of verses have reached an impasse, two leading biblical scholars believe; these debates are missing the forest for the trees.
In this learned and beautifully written book, Richard and Christopher Hays explore a more expansive way of listening to the overarching story that scripture tells. They remind us of a dynamic and gracious God who is willing to change his mind, consistently broadening his grace to include more and more people. Those who were once outsiders find themselves surprisingly embraced within the people of God, while those who sought to enforce exclusive boundaries are challenged to rethink their understanding of God’s ways.
The authors—a father and son—point out ongoing conversations within the Bible in which traditional rules, customs, and theologies are rethought. They argue that God has already gone on ahead of our debates and expanded his grace to people of different sexualities. If the Bible shows us a God who changes his mind, they say, perhaps today’s Christians should do the same. The book begins with the authors’ personal experiences of controversies over sexuality and closes with Richard Hays’s epilogue reflecting on his own change of heart and mind.
