Julie Faith Parker, Ph.D. 

The Rev. Dr. Julie Faith Parker is a Hebrew Bible scholar who passionately believes that the ways we read the Bible matter. She is currently a Visiting Scholar at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, as well as the Biblical Scholar in Residence at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. Dr. Parker has taught at Yale Divinity School, General Theological Seminary, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Colby College, and New York Theological Seminary, where her students were incarcerated in Sing Sing prison. She holds a Ph.D. from Yale University (awarded with distinction), as well as degrees from Yale Divinity School (S.T.M.), Union Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Hamilton College (B.A.; Phi Beta Kappa). Her eighth book, Eve Isn’t Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions, is being published by Baker Academic and will be released in September. 

The Mind, Body, and Soul of Eve: Our Foremother and Our Friend 

This session offers a surprisingly loving look one of the Bible’s most famous women. Why do ideas about Eve – her body, her mind, and her spirit – matter? What do they have to do with us today? Participants will be invited to share their own perceptions of Eve and discuss the possible ramifications for modern women. We will then delve into a low-key no-pressure Bible study with a close look at the original Hebrew text. How many of our ideas about Eve are actually in the Bible? Together we will discover Eve as an inspiration and a guide for us as women making decisions in our own lives.

Spiritual Power – In the Bible and in Us 

This session focuses on the ways that the Holy Spirit works in us and through us, though we often fail to notice. We will look at women and girls in the Bible who have remarkable spiritual gifts that take the spirit of God, transport it into their bodies, understand it in their minds, and then share it with those around them. How might we do the same?