When was the last time you skimmed past various verses in scripture because they are hard to digest or you don’t know how to grapple with them?
I know I’ve been guilty of that at one time or another.
It’s easy to read and share the parts of the Bible you find agreeable and align well with your understanding of Jesus.
But what happens when you come across perplexing or potentially challenging verses to your pre-existing beliefs?
In this episode, I will be talking to Dr. Amy Jill Levine. We discuss why it’s so important to pause and wrestle with the pieces of text that raise questions for you and ways that you can reframe your approach to these difficult passages.
As disciples of the Word, we must ask questions and look into the time period and the audience to which the passage was written.
Dr. Levine is fun and witty, and I love her sense of humor.
She wants us to use the Bible as a rock on which we stand rather than a rock we throw at others.
As disciples of the Word, it’s crucial we ask questions, and look into the time period and the audience to which the passage was written.
Dr. Levine asks:
“How do you wrestle with God? “
“You wrestle with the text, and you bring new questions to the text. You wrestle with that confusion, see what other people have said”
Tell me
What is one verse or passage you’re currently wrestling with?
Links mentioned in the episode:
Dr. Amy Levine’s Book – The Difficult Words of Jesus
Connect with Dr. Amy Levine on FaceBook
Find more information about Our Guest

Dr. Amy Jill Levine
Dr. Amy-Jill Levine is a University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, and Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Graduate Department of Religion, and Department of Jewish Studies.
An internationally renowned scholar and teacher she is the author of numerous books and co-author of the Jewish annotated New testament
She has given over 500 lectures on the Bible, Christian-Jewish relations, Religion, Gender, and Sexuality across the globe.
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