The Art of Bible Reading - educational resources

I'm delighted to say that the educational resources from the project on which I collaborated with Rob Freathy, Esther Reed and Anna Davis at the University of Exeter are now available. The Art of Bible Reading, sponsored by Bible Society, is a project which encourages Key Stage 3 students (UK school years 7 to 9, or ages 11 to 14) and their teachers to rethink how they look at the Bible. We've suggested that the Bible should not be considered a collection of proof-texts, or a book containing unproblematic answers to particular ethical dilemmas. Rather, we suggest, Christians understand the Bible as a text which shapes (in the words of Stanley Hauerwas) communities of character. Engaging with it can therefore prompt readers to consider their own values and those of the various communities of which they are part. 

In this project we've been lucky enough to use paintings created by a local artist, Brian J. Turner of Exeter's Turner Gallery. Several years ago he embarked on a project to create paintings covering the whole span of the biblical narrative. Some of these can be seen at his Bible Project site.

Kevin Mayhew has now published two books and a CD-ROM. The book exists as a teachers' edition and a students' edition, and the CD-ROM contains the text of the book plus additional worksheets, and high-quality versions of Brian's paintings. The teaching materials were trialled by students and teachers from St Peter’s Church of England High School, Exeter; Exeter School; Exeter Cathedral School; and by PGCE students from the University of Exeter.

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