Biblical Interpretation Across the Two Testaments
An online short course
Taught by Mary Schertz, PhD, and Jackie Wyse-Rhodes, PhD
Dates: Jan. 28 鈥� March 10, 2026
Early registration deadline: Jan. 7, 2026
Final registration deadline: Jan. 21, 2026
As Christians reading the Bible after the Holocaust, we need to look hard at how we imagine the relationship between our two testaments and whether we privilege one above the other. This short course will explore supersessionism, the harmful theological claim that the church has replaced Israel as God鈥檚 covenant community and the authority of the New Testament 鈥渟upersedes鈥� that of the Old.
While it would be simplistic to say that these erroneous notions were the sole cause of the Holocaust, there is little doubt that such readings contributed to the environment in which genocide became possible. In this course, we will explore the question: How can modern Christians read our Scriptures faithfully, creatively, and respectfully?
We will explore how supersessionism results in shallow and unsatisfying experiences with the Bible, often leading Christians to discount whole swaths of the biblical tradition as well as paving the way for physical violence and hateful speech against Jews. As followers of Jesus today, we want to pursue better ways of reading our two testaments.
Toward that goal, we will examine one historical Anabaptist interpretive strategy: the notion of Jesus as 鈥渢he hermeneutical key鈥� to the Hebrew Bible. After exploring the historical origins of that notion, we will consider the implications of using this approach in our contemporary setting. We will propose that multiple methods of interpretation are necessary for reading the Bible responsibly today, with class sessions dedicated to literary perspectives on both the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian gospels as well as perspectives that center marginalized voices, questions of peace and violence, and inter-religious concerns.
Cost
- Early registration: $300 US per course
- Regular registration: $350 US per course
- Anabaptist Short Course Bundle: $995 US total for four courses!*
- Global South Scholarships are available. .
- Participants should expect to pay for one or two textbooks.
* ‘Challenging Christian Nationalism’ and ‘Biblical Interpretation Across the Two Testaments‘ are not included in the Anabaptist Short Course Bundle.
Short course details
How short courses work
Courses are offered online and last six weeks each. Short course students聽are expected to complete coursework on their own and post to an online forum weekly. Short courses also include optional, weekly, live video conversations with instructors. These conversations are recorded for class members who cannot attend.
Short courses explore topics like Anabaptist history, biblical study,聽spiritual and ethical issues, and more. These non-credit聽courses involve readings from textbooks and online articles and include written forum discussion. You won’t receive a grade, but readings and discussion are comparable to seminary-level work, and professors assume you have critical thinking skills and some previous academic study.
Online course requirements
You will need:
- High speed internet access
- Access to a computer with a web browser, a word processing program, and a PDF file reader (such as Adobe Reader)
- An email account
- Basic computer skills
- One or two textbooks selected by the professor, available from a web source
Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available. Upon the completion of course requirements, you can earn 2.4 CEUs. However, no academic credit is awarded and these courses do not meet any requirements in the bg真人 Master of Divinity or Master of Arts programs of study.
Before you register
Online learning is not for everyone. To help evaluate your skills and abilities to benefit from an online course, please follow provided by Washington Online. Question 5 asks about available time to devote to the course. Short courses require, on average, 5-10 hours per week rather than the 10-15 hours mentioned in the quiz. With this in mind, we encourage you to take the quiz and find out whether you are a good candidate for online learning.
Refunds
Before the early registration deadline, cancellations will be refunded, less US$50. After this date, cancellations will be granted credit, less US$50, toward a future short course within one year. Refund credits must be requested within one week of the beginning of the event.