Introduction
Jacob L. Goodson
College of William & Mary
This is the first issue of the Journal of
Scriptural Reasoning that is not exclusively
focused on one theme or topic. We are delighted to
bring together such wonderful essays that pertain to
several questions raised within and reflected upon by
the community of inquiries who participate in
Scriptural Reasoning. This issue consists of four
sections: Scriptural Reasoning in the World;
Covenant, Law, and Love; Parables and Moral
Reasoning; and Book Reviews.
The two essays comprising "Scriptural Reasoning in
the World" serve as reflective reports on how the
practice of Scriptural Reasoning is working in Israel
and Canada. More significantly, both essays highlight
how Scriptural Reasoning nurtures healthy
relationships within these contexts. Miriam Feldman
Kaye and Nermeen Mouftah provide us "on the ground"
accounts of Scriptural Reasoning in their respective
settings.
In the second section of this issue, Tom Greggs
addresses questions concerning Covenantal theology
within the Abrahamic traditions, and Adam Seligman
discusses the role of Law and Love in Scripture and
English literature. Greggs writes from the
perspective of an Evangelical Christian and makes a
compelling case for why Christians ought to return to
their Old Testament narratives when investigating the
status of God's Covenant with Ishmael. In short,
Greggs challenges Christian stereotypes of Islam.
Seligman compares and contrasts the significance of
Law and Love in the Jewish Scriptures and William
Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. With
this examination, Seligman displays how Shakespeare's
writings help us reconsider old religious stereotypes
concerning Law (Jewish) and Love (Christian).
Therefore, in their different ways, both Greggs and
Seligman push back on stereotypes found among and
within the Abrahamic traditions.
The two essays within the section "Parables and
Moral Reasoning" engage different interpretations of
parables from the Gospel According to Luke (in the
New Testament). In his essay, "Theatrical Samaritans:
Performing Others in Luke 10:25-37," Howard Pickett
attends to the Parable of the Good Samaritan and
provides a comprehensive account of the pre-modern
and modern interpretations of this parable. He also
considers how this parable gets employed in American
pop culture. Pickett turns toward Emanuel Levinas'
philosophical ethics as a way to negotiate the
multiple interpretations (and popular applications)
of this particular parable. In his essay, "Just War
and Statecraft in Paul Ramsey's Reading of Luke
14:28-33," Adam Hollowell focuses exclusively on Paul
Ramsey’s interpretations of the parable, often called
"Counting the Costs." Ramsey was a Christian
ethicist, mostly known for his just war reasoning,
who spent much of his career teaching at Princeton
University. Hollowell discusses why Ramsey found this
particular parable so compelling within his
(Ramsey's) reflections on statecraft. On the terms of
scriptural reasoning, Hollowell provides a critical
and helpful analysis of how Ramsey interpreted
“Counting the Costs.” Versions of both of these
essays were presented at the Mid-Atlantic AAR
Regional Meeting in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in
March 2011.
The final section of this issue includes reviews
of two recent books: Barry Harvey's Can These
Bones Live? and a collection of essays gathered
under the title Fields of Faith: Theology and
Religious Studies for the Twenty-first Century.
Both books engage the methods and practice of
Scriptural Reasoning. This is our second issue that
includes a section of Book Reviews. We still seek
reviewers in order to continue offering constructive
responses to books that are of interest to the
Society of Scriptural Reasoning.
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Reasoning
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