Friday Five: B-I-B-L-E

1. What is your earliest memory of encountering a biblical text? I encountered not just one text, but the whole thing when I received a Bible from my church as a second grader. Of course I tried to start reading from beginning to end and came crashing to a halt in Exodus.

2. What is your favorite biblical translation, and why? (You might have a few for different purposes). My denomination uses the NRSV as its standard, and I usually prefer it, too. There are still times for the poetry of the King James, though.

3. What is your favorite book of the Bible? Your favorite verse/passage? My favorite book is the Gospel of Luke, the Magnificat and the Sermon on the Plain seems to highlight God's care for the least, lost and last. My personal favorite passage is the story of the Prodigal Son. The behavior of the older brother is so typical, and always convicts me (and the words of the Father, "All that I have is yours," give me hope). For proclamation I like Luke 4:16-21, which one of my sem profs called Jesus's Mission Statement.

4. Which book of the Bible do you consider, in Luther's famous words about James, to be "an epistle of straw?" Which verse(s) make you want to scream? I'm not ready to cut out a whole book, but any of the writings about women/wives being subject, quiet, etc. always creates trouble.

5. Inclusive language in biblical translation and liturgical proclamation: for, against, or neutral? Mostly I am for it, and I try very hard to avoid exclusively male language for God (or for people) when I preach or teach. However, the same sem prof as above noted that where the NRSV uses plurals to avoid the masculine singular pronoun, it sometimes dilutes the direct, personal message of the scripture. It is not just people in general who must take up the cross, but me.

Bonus: Back to the Psalms--which one best speaks the prayer of your heart? Depends on the day, doesn't it? That's the great think about Psalms, there is something for every mood from repentance to joy.