Wes Bergen | Waynesburg University (original) (raw)

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Papers by Wes Bergen

If a church uses a lectionary as its guide for worship and preaching, how likely is it to address... more If a church uses a lectionary as its guide for worship and preaching, how likely is it to address the problem of poverty? If it does address this question, toward what answers does the lectionary guide the preacher? Using the New Common Lectionary as a general guide, and with occasional references to the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Mass, this study will ponder how the lectionary serves as a basis for sermons and services on poverty.

Another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture. This one deals wit... more Another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture. This one deals with the modern Western idea of death in war as sacrifice, comparing it to the ideas of animal sacrifice in Leviticus.

another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture

chapter 4 from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and culture.

This study has two aims. The first is to suggest a possible answer to the long-sought unifying t... more This study has two aims. The first is to suggest a possible answer to the long-sought unifying theme of the book of Numbers. The second is to use this theme, the unity of the people of Israel, as a way of helping make the book of Numbers more useful for the African church.

This is a study of the various accounts of the Lord's Supper in the Bible. It does not suggest a... more This is a study of the various accounts of the Lord's Supper in the Bible. It does not suggest a particular understanding or practice, but instead lays out the various understandings found in the gospels and Paul.

There has been considerable debate concerning the negoatiation of Boaz for Naomi and her land in ... more There has been considerable debate concerning the negoatiation of Boaz for Naomi and her land in Ruth 4. Many Western scholars have attempted to make sense of the negotiations, but thus far have failed to offer a convincing narrative for the relationship between narrative and the laws governing inheritance in ancient Israel. This paper uses parallels from Ghanaian village life to suggest an alternative understanding of power structures and their role in inheritance.

Comparing ancient Israelite and modern American ritual yields surprising results.

An overview of ritual theory as it applies to biblical studies.

While at first glance it may seem that the biblical books of Revelation and Leviticus have little... more While at first glance it may seem that the biblical books of Revelation and Leviticus have little in common, a closer analysis reveals numerous surprising parallels.

In the first century CE, significant parts of the Christian church expected Jesus to return in a ... more In the first century CE, significant parts of the Christian church expected Jesus to return in a triumphant fashion. Today in the United States, significant parts of the Christian church still expect the imminent return of Jesus. This paper explores the variety of explanations for the continuing popularity of apocalyptic ideas. Building on existing scholarship, I suggest a number of new reasons why apocalyptic thought continues to be part of Christianity. These reasons also help us understand why the roots of apocalyptic thought will never be fully explained.

A comparison of early Christian, modern American Christian, and modern American secular apocalyp... more A comparison of early Christian, modern American Christian, and modern American secular apocalypticism

An old unpublished paper about the process of becoming a member of the guild of biblical scholars.

As part of my broader interest in the impact of ideology on biblical studies, this paper reads th... more As part of my broader interest in the impact of ideology on biblical studies, this paper reads the books of Joshua and Judges from the perspective of someone in Kansas.

Teaching Documents by Wes Bergen

Many Bible study guides lead you to an initial emotional response to a text, but don’t really ge... more Many Bible study guides lead you to an initial emotional response to a text, but don’t really get at the deeper details of the Bible. Academic studies ask the difficult intellectual questions, but too often fail to ask how these texts relate to your life.
This study combines both ways of looking at the Bible. As a professor and pastor, Wes Bergen is able to look at the stories of Jesus’ death spiritually and intellectually. Each chapter begins by connecting you to the gospels in a personal way. It then goes on to ask the kinds of questions that stimulate the mind to explore new ideas. The chapters conclude by bringing the two kinds of study together, as the best kind of study always does.

Books by Wes Bergen

Here's the introduction to my book You Are Not Going to Heaven (and why it doesn't matter). It is... more Here's the introduction to my book You Are Not Going to Heaven (and why it doesn't matter). It is a book about atonement (and why most current discussions are not helpful) and salvation (a word often used but seldom defined) wrapped in a New Historicist/Ideological reading of the Bible.

If a church uses a lectionary as its guide for worship and preaching, how likely is it to address... more If a church uses a lectionary as its guide for worship and preaching, how likely is it to address the problem of poverty? If it does address this question, toward what answers does the lectionary guide the preacher? Using the New Common Lectionary as a general guide, and with occasional references to the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Mass, this study will ponder how the lectionary serves as a basis for sermons and services on poverty.

Another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture. This one deals wit... more Another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture. This one deals with the modern Western idea of death in war as sacrifice, comparing it to the ideas of animal sacrifice in Leviticus.

another chapter from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and modern culture

chapter 4 from Reading Ritual, my book on Leviticus and culture.

This study has two aims. The first is to suggest a possible answer to the long-sought unifying t... more This study has two aims. The first is to suggest a possible answer to the long-sought unifying theme of the book of Numbers. The second is to use this theme, the unity of the people of Israel, as a way of helping make the book of Numbers more useful for the African church.

This is a study of the various accounts of the Lord's Supper in the Bible. It does not suggest a... more This is a study of the various accounts of the Lord's Supper in the Bible. It does not suggest a particular understanding or practice, but instead lays out the various understandings found in the gospels and Paul.

There has been considerable debate concerning the negoatiation of Boaz for Naomi and her land in ... more There has been considerable debate concerning the negoatiation of Boaz for Naomi and her land in Ruth 4. Many Western scholars have attempted to make sense of the negotiations, but thus far have failed to offer a convincing narrative for the relationship between narrative and the laws governing inheritance in ancient Israel. This paper uses parallels from Ghanaian village life to suggest an alternative understanding of power structures and their role in inheritance.

Comparing ancient Israelite and modern American ritual yields surprising results.

An overview of ritual theory as it applies to biblical studies.

While at first glance it may seem that the biblical books of Revelation and Leviticus have little... more While at first glance it may seem that the biblical books of Revelation and Leviticus have little in common, a closer analysis reveals numerous surprising parallels.

In the first century CE, significant parts of the Christian church expected Jesus to return in a ... more In the first century CE, significant parts of the Christian church expected Jesus to return in a triumphant fashion. Today in the United States, significant parts of the Christian church still expect the imminent return of Jesus. This paper explores the variety of explanations for the continuing popularity of apocalyptic ideas. Building on existing scholarship, I suggest a number of new reasons why apocalyptic thought continues to be part of Christianity. These reasons also help us understand why the roots of apocalyptic thought will never be fully explained.

A comparison of early Christian, modern American Christian, and modern American secular apocalyp... more A comparison of early Christian, modern American Christian, and modern American secular apocalypticism

An old unpublished paper about the process of becoming a member of the guild of biblical scholars.

As part of my broader interest in the impact of ideology on biblical studies, this paper reads th... more As part of my broader interest in the impact of ideology on biblical studies, this paper reads the books of Joshua and Judges from the perspective of someone in Kansas.

Many Bible study guides lead you to an initial emotional response to a text, but don’t really ge... more Many Bible study guides lead you to an initial emotional response to a text, but don’t really get at the deeper details of the Bible. Academic studies ask the difficult intellectual questions, but too often fail to ask how these texts relate to your life.
This study combines both ways of looking at the Bible. As a professor and pastor, Wes Bergen is able to look at the stories of Jesus’ death spiritually and intellectually. Each chapter begins by connecting you to the gospels in a personal way. It then goes on to ask the kinds of questions that stimulate the mind to explore new ideas. The chapters conclude by bringing the two kinds of study together, as the best kind of study always does.

Here's the introduction to my book You Are Not Going to Heaven (and why it doesn't matter). It is... more Here's the introduction to my book You Are Not Going to Heaven (and why it doesn't matter). It is a book about atonement (and why most current discussions are not helpful) and salvation (a word often used but seldom defined) wrapped in a New Historicist/Ideological reading of the Bible.