Dr. Alex Sider, professor of religion at Bluffton University, will present the colloquium, “‘Face to Face:’ Disability in Four Difficult Biblical Texts,” at 4 p.m. on March 16 in Centennial Hall’s Stutzman Lecture Hall.

For many Christians, according to Sider, the Bible promotes the radical inclusion of marginalized people in community. However, during this colloquium, Sider will explain how “biblical texts were written in contexts—racism, ethnocentrism, classism and sexism—that created and reinforced marginalization.”

Sider will focus on four biblical texts: Genesis 18, Genesis 32, Leviticus 21 and John 9. Using these texts, Sider will examine another dimension of marginalization and ableism that pose problems for Christian interpreters who think of the Bible as straightforwardly "good news” for persons with disabilities.

These difficult texts make careful theological reflection on the practice of Biblical interpretation extremely important for Christians who want to use the resources of their faith to advocate for inclusion and social justice.

This event is free and open to the public.