a manifesto for biblical studies

Back in September, as I was struggling with a faith that felt like it was falling apart, I wondered if I was insane to be starting a master's in Biblical Studies. I knew there would be days when it all felt pointless and I couldn't remember why I was doing this. So I wrote this "manifesto," and it has sat on my nightstand where I see it every single day. I am grateful for the dreams and hopes these words have held steady for me.



A Manifesto - For the Beginning of a Master's in Biblical Studies

I am here because the very foundations, motivations, and directions of my life revolve around what I believe and practice about "God" and how the Bible affects it.

I am here because no matter where my life or faith goes from here, I will never be untangled from the Bible, and this is my chance to dive in and give it my all.

I am here because it is time for me to engage my faith in all capacities, to face my fears and angers, hopes and disappointments, to lay everything on the table that I can and ask for honesty in return.

I am here because I hope that a better understanding of God will lead to a truer relationship with God, which will lead to a better way of living in community, which is the slow progress toward a better world, perhaps a kingdom.

I am here because religion shapes the power structures of the world, and reshaping Christianity to liberate rather than oppress women and other minorities will radically affect culture, not just doctrinal statements.

I am here because I believe a flawed understanding of Scripture has obscured the gospel and the kingdom and the God behind it.

I am here because reality is that the Bible has shaped Western culture and is spreading globally still, and yet women are far too scarce in the fields that study and translate and disseminate it.

I am here because I want to speak into the chaos of a Christianity that is dying, but I believe my words must come from a place of deep understanding, from gleaning the wisdom of those in this battle for decades, and from experience, not the ideal and uninformed aspirations of a twenty-something.

I am here because I want to write books that might help one reader at a time to see themselves, scripture, God, and the world in a more holistic, true, just, and loving way, but I am not ready to write those books yet.

I am here because I hope my presence in this field will inspire other young women to claim their place.

I am here because the credentials will make me more worth listening to and learning from, and it is the doorway to teaching in a way that is more than a thrown-together conglomeration of my own convictions and semantics.

I am here because I want to build a bridge between academic Biblical Studies and the Church.

I am here because I would like to be hope for another person like me, a voice in the wilderness that prepares the way for YHWH.

I am here for the journey wherever it takes me, and for my hope in the beauty of the person of Jesus.