Livestream: Amanda Russell-Jones: Sister in the Wilderness – Hagar in Art, Music & Literature

Our free summer Evening Public Lectures feature a wide range of professors, both guests and Regent regulars. Enjoy delving deep into a pressing issue with a wise guide; then brave the mic to ask your burning question. Better (and cheaper) than a night at the movies.

Due to closure of the College related to Covid-19, all of our Summer 2020 lectures will be streamed online

Lecture Description: The stories of the women of the Bible have been used to categorize, exhort, or chastise women down the ages. Hagar, for example, was the most common biblical name given to enslaved African-American women. We will explore depictions of Hagar in art, music, literature, and popular culture, asking how the mirror held up to women became distorted and at what cost. We will also discover why it is that for those who regard Hagar as a “sister in the wilderness,” God’s dealings with her have provided hope in the midst of oppression.

Amanda Russell-Jones is a sessional lecturer at Regent. Her research involves scriptural interpretation and application on issues of slavery, and the relationship between women and the church both in historical settings and our contemporary world. Her enthusiasm for art and literature informs her understanding and evaluation of the Bible’s impact on culture and the impact of culture on biblical interpretation. Her PhD thesis from the University of Birmingham was entitled “The Voice of the Outcast—Josephine Butler’s Biblical Interpretation and Public Theology.” She has written a chapter on Butler for the forthcoming SBL publication “The Bible and the Women’s Movement in the 19th Century.”

https://www.regent-college.edu/about-us/events/event-details?event_id=438