Want to Understand Yourself and Connect with God? Try the Psalms
Scott Starbuck, Religious Studies, Gonzaga; Senior Pastor, Manito Presbyterian Church, Spokane WA
“Want to Understand Yourself and Connect with God? Try the Psalms”
Monday, Sept 19, 5:30-7:00 pm, Wolff Auditorium, Jepson Center (JC 114)
A common experience in postmodernity is disconnection from self, God, and others. This sense of alienation only increased during the pandemic and was shared alike among students, faculty, and community members. Although many may pursue modern strategies to alleviate estrangement and achieve deep connection, one should seriously consider the ancient wisdom of full-bodied engagement with the psalms where one allows the psalms to deeply engage oneself, others, and God along multiple dimensions of mind, heart, spirit, relationships, and experience. Unfortunately, few people, even the religiously trained, approach the psalms this way. In this presentation, we will not only cover the historical and theoretical contexts of full-bodied psalm engagement, but we will also approach the task practically so that attendees might begin such a practice on their own.
Scott Starbuck is an internationally recognized Hebrew Bible specialist on the Psalms and has not only published key scholarly works on the psalms but has also provided translation and commentary to musicians who have composed hymns and laments for the church. He has taught in the Religious Studies Department since 2002 and is a Presbyterian Pastor.