General Interest | Old Testament
Isaiah 40-66 invites its readers to hear a word from God that is both ancient and new, both disruptive and inviting, both transformative and identity reaffirming. The poems curated and arranged in this text draw on older traditions in the book of Isaiah to inspire hope among the survivors of the horrors of war and mass deportation. We will explore historical and textual matters, while considering how these poems continue to speak to our present social and pastoral contexts. We will invite the book of Isaiah to confront complacency in the face of contemporary socio-political crises, and move us toward hopeful, prophetic imagination. Join us for a time of deep biblical study and spiritual reflection.
Community details
We are honored to have Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby and Dr. Mark Hamilton leading the Old Testament general interest community at Summit this fall. Join with them and other Old Testament scholars as they examine prophetic poems from Isaiah. Additional details will be available soon.
Facilitators
Amy McLaughlin Sheasby
AMY McLAUGHLIN-SHEASBY
Dr. Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby is a professor in the College of Biblical Studies at Abilene Christian University, where she specializes in practical theology, homiletics, and wisdom literature. Much of her academic research focuses on the impact of suffering and trauma on the way we speak about God. She is also the Director of Faculty Spiritual Formation at ACU—a role that entails the development of spiritual care for fellow faculty members. In addition to her love for Christian higher education, Amy has always been passionate about congregational ministry. She has worn many different hats in churches around the country, but it was during her time as the preaching minister for a small church in Abilene that she became most passionate about educating and equipping fellow ministers for varied contexts. Amy and her husband, Nathan, currently live in Abilene, Texas, with their beloved dog, Miles. They are members of Highland Church of Christ, where they enjoy serving in the worship ministry together.
Mark Hamilton
MARK HAMILTON
After ministering several years in congregations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, Mark moved to Abilene Christian University in 2000. There he teaches courses in Biblical Hebrew and Old Testament. He has been a visiting professor at Pepperdine University, Lipscomb University, and universities in New Zealand, Ghana, Russia, Croatia, Israel, and South Korea. He has also lectured and preached in many parts of the United States, and several other countries. In addition to his work at Abilene Christian University, Mark served ten and a half years as an elder of the University Church of Christ in Abilene. He preaches and teaches in churches in many locales. Mark is the author of numerous publications and is currently working on several more, including commentaries on Genesis and 1-2 Samuel. Most importantly, he and his wife, Samjung, have two adult children and a son-in-law whom they dearly love.