The Bible for Normal People Podcast - "The True Meaning of the Image of God," Lisa Sharon Harper
Dear Research Network, Colleagues and Friends,
We thought you might be considering some of the ways that religion has been weaponized, recently, to create a narrow vision of the "deserving" people within various democractic spaces. The growing voices for an ethnocentric nationalism have been alarming in countries, like the US. As one example, the US may now begin deporting undocumented people who pay taxes (from which they derive no benefit). The impact upon both the work force and the finances of the US has the potential to devastate local economies. This is part of the belief that some people deserve to be in the US and others do not. Religion is often used to advocate for political policies that frequently cause harm.
But, if we are harming the "Other" under the guise of being morally right, we have to ask a few questions, including, "Who's in the Image of God?" This episode of "The Bible for Normal People" podcast explores this question with none other than Lisa Sharon Harper. She is one of our favorite thinkers and, if you haven't heard her before, we think she will quickly become one of your favorites. If you HAVE heard her before, we are confident you are already amazed by her wisdom and insights. On this website, we have also featured select episodes from her powerful "Freedom Road" podcast. (Click here to listen to one of her podcast episodes.)
Do you agree that religious terms like "Evangelical" do not reference people in a particular political party? How can we get the hatred and vitriol out of politics?
We invite you to listen and then come back here and leave comments. Let us know what your thoughts about her insights. Let's have a dialogue!
The Misogynoir to Mishpat (M2M) Research Network (c) 2024
Episode 193: Lisa Sharon Harper – The True Meaning of the Image of God
Show Notes
In this episode of The Bible for Normal People Podcast, Lisa Sharon Harper joins Pete and Jared to discuss the impact that colonization and enslavement had on Scripture and how to begin the humble business of decolonizing our faith. Together, they explore the following questions:
If our understanding of the Gospel is not good news, then is it really the Gospel?
Why does Lisa Sharon Harper want to throw up every time she hears someone say Imago Dei?
What does it mean to be made in the image of God and have dominion over the world?
How did the Hebrew understanding of sin differ from the Greek lens we are accustomed to?
How does your understanding of the Gospel influence the platforms you are willing to stand for?
What is the difference between dominion and domination?
What does it mean to subjugate God’s image?
Is the concept of reparations biblical?
TWEETABLES
Pithy, shareable, less-than-280-character statements from Lisa Sharon Harper you can share.
“Scripture itself does still guide me, and it is the Scripture itself that actually has saved my understanding of Christianity.” @lisasharper
“Every single word that was written in the entirety of Scripture was written by someone who was either colonized at the time or under threat of colonization and enslavement.” @lisasharper
“The whole Bible is really stories in the context of colonization and a story of a people struggling to release and free the image of God within them and on Earth.” @lisasharper
“What it means to be made in the image of God is to be given the call and the capacity, all things being equal, to exercise dominion in the world, to steward the world, to serve and protect the world.” @lisasharper
“What I’ve come to understand as the core sin of people of European descent, is not that they try to subjugate other humans, it’s that they tried to subjugate God. They went to war with God because they have only understood dominion as domination.” @lisasharper
“Christianity was founded by Brown, colonized people in the context of colonization. What does it look like then, for us, to go about the humble business of decolonizing our faith? It looks like seeking truth. It looks like listening to truth. It looks like telling the truth.” @lisasharper