{"id":4077,"date":"2015-09-24T10:03:04","date_gmt":"2015-09-24T14:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groups.etown.edu\/news\/?p=4077"},"modified":"2015-10-07T11:08:48","modified_gmt":"2015-10-07T15:08:48","slug":"newton-discusses-the-african-american-bible-bound-in-a-christian-nation-oct-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2015\/09\/24\/newton-discusses-the-african-american-bible-bound-in-a-christian-nation-oct-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Newton discusses ‘The African-American Bible: Bound in a Christian Nation’ Oct. 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Presidential<\/a>\u201cThis\u00a0talk is me taking note of how the Bible works,\u201d said Dr. Richard Newton, assistant professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown College. On Oct. 7, Newton discusses the ties of the African-American culture to the Bible as part of the Presidential Community Enrichment Series. The noontime talk, in the Susquehanna Room at Myers Hall, is $15; lunch is provided. Audience discussion has a significant role in Newton\u2019s lecture as he finds that, \u201cdiscussion is writing the next chapter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been researching scriptures for a while, and I have been living as an African-American in America all my life, so I\u2019ve seen how the Bible is a blessing and a curse,\u201d said Newton in a recent interview about his research.<\/p>\n

Newton\u2019s passion in anthropology has always pulled him to seek answers in understanding the Bible\u2019s influences on society. As he describes, the Bible, \u201cshapes Americans\u2019 responses.\u201d Having such an impact on everyday life, the scriptures have become a guideline that blesses and chains the black society and America as a whole.<\/p>\n

\n

People are interpreting the Bible in multiple ways, and the diversity of social events and how people read into it makes it interesting.\u201d<\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Current events, he said, constantly create connections between the Bible and black culture. From issues with the Confederate flag, to the Black Lives Matter campaign, the constant conflicts involving African-Americans show the phenomenon of the Bible and its ties to everyday life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor better or worse, there\u2019s always something to talk about,\u201d explained Newton.<\/p>\n

In his talk, he also discusses how historic events have a connection with the Bible\u2019s lessons. He will begin by linking the creation story in the Bible to moments in slavery, he said, then continue doing the same for events up to Black Lives Matter. From using the figures of Martin Luther King Jr. to President Barack Obama, he plans to explain how African-American history has depended on Bible stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really talking about a framework,\u201d said Newton. \u201cPeople are interpreting the Bible in multiple ways, and the diversity of social events and how people read into it makes it interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newton has shared his presentation and research twice in 2015 — once in February among collegiate students in New York and then to E-town alumnus in Florida this past summer. The discussions at both conventions brought up serious points about points about identity, the Bible, and racial tensions in the United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese aren\u2019t going away in America,” Newton said. \u201cPart of being in a Christian Nation is that what people think the Bible says impacts these and other social realities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although racial and political issues will have a significant part in Newton\u2019s talk, the real discussion focuses on how, \u201cScriptures are not just the stories we read; they’re the ones that read us back.\u201d In his observations, Bible stories interpret who you are and who you can be. And with this power, the Bible becomes the most influential tool to be heard in this country. Yet, it also can be the binding force that creates friction in American society.<\/p>\n

As Newton explained, the role of religion, especially Christianity, shapes the thoughts, actions and social events in the United States. With recognizing the connection between the Bible\u2019s teachings and the history in African-American society, \u201cit\u2019s a conversation that can hopefully affect change and mind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThis\u00a0talk is me taking note of how the Bible works,\u201d said Dr. Richard Newton, assistant professor of religious studies at Elizabethtown College. On Oct. 7, Newton discusses the ties of the African-American culture to the Bible as part of the Presidential Community Enrichment Series. The noontime talk, in the Susquehanna Room at Myers Hall, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":1745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[774,5],"tags":[998,1024,197,838,687],"class_list":["post-4077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-arts-culture","tag-ashley-reeb","tag-bible","tag-elizabethtown-college","tag-presidential-community-enrichment-series","tag-richard-newton","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/86"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4077"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4087,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4077\/revisions\/4087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}