b'2 CampusUnion forms people to be agents of transformative change in their communities, in church, in societyespecially now, with the brokenness,the fragmentation, the challenges of talking to people across great differences.It is critical that we do this workas it says in the Old Testament, to be repairers of the breach.Dr. Jacqueline Lapsley President and Professor of Old Testament in theWalter W. Moore and Charles E. S. Kraemer Presidential ChairsHer experience on the steering committee of Princetons Farminary,WomensStoriesintheOldTestament. with its integration of theological education with the areas of ecology,You have to listen carefully to hear the sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and food justice, deepened herresistance that is present in some of the interest in creation ethics. The Old Testament is an underutilized resourcestoriesresistance to patriarchal culture for people of faith in tackling climate change and caring for the creationand sexism.that God so loves, says Lapsley. Its not always on the surface, but part She has served on the editorial boards of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly,of the argument of my book Whispering Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, and the Interpretation commentary series,the Word is that the scriptures are much co-edited with New Testament scholar Beverly Gaventa and with two othermore nuanced and powerful as a word into names familiar to the Union community: Brian Blount and Samuel Adams. patriarchal culture than they are usually The 2011 book A Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, for which Lapsleygiven credit for.was an associate editor, received Reference Book of the Year designationThere is a lot more going on within the from the Academy of Parish Clergy. scriptures themselves around these matters, Throughout her Princeton teaching years, she retained a sensitivity tothrough storytelling, whereas some people the literary power of the Old Testamentthe beauty and arc of a story,who are no longer people of faith just want the words and phrases, and the Bible as literature. to throw it all out because they see the Bible as steeped in patriarchy. You Thats what literary theory is supposed to help you doto appreciateare very flatfooted if you are reading the Bible in that way.the artistry of the story as opposed to being solely focused on the historicalWhen Lapsley left Princeton for Union, she had been serving for five details, explains Lapsley. And Ive come to see also that a good literaryyears as dean and vice president of academic affairs. This afforded me framework for reading scripture is also, by necessity, historical. Attention tothe opportunity to work with colleagues at the executive leadership level literary artistry also makes the theological commitments of the Bible popto think about the institution as a whole and how to work together to live off the page. Its a critical tool for the faithful reading of scripture.into and fulfill the mission of the school, she explains. I think we are at In her years of studying and teaching Old Testament, she has encountereda time in both the life of the church and in society when we need what ancient voices that have not been rightly heard. The evocative title of oneseminaries have to offer more than ever. of her books points to those encounters: Whispering the Word: HearingUnion forms people to be agents of transformative change in their communities, in church, in societyespecially now, with the brokenness, the fragmentation, the challenges of talking to people across great differences. It is critical that we do this workas it says in the Old Testament, to be repairers of the breach.We need to be weaving the frayed threads of our unraveling society back into a whole. We need people who can do that kind of work, and we at UPSem need to provide them with the resources that will form them for that work.Clearly, at that crossroads in Paris in 1990, Jacq Lapsley took the right road.Dr. Lapsley and her husband, Rev. Greg Bezilla,on the Richmond campus MORE ONLINELearn more about Jacq Lapsley and her vision for Union Presbyterian Seminary in this video series by scanning the QR code.bit.ly/MeetJacq23Sharon & Brook 2023 FALL ISSUE'