Sundays, October 5 and October 19

Miracles and Wonder

Rev. Dr. Lindley DeGarmo

Edna Anderson Chapel at 11:30 a.m.

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This three-part course will explore the latest book by renowned scholar Elaine Pagels, Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus. Blending biblical scholarship with spiritual reflection, Pagels invites readers to consider the enduring power of Jesus’s miracle stories—not as supernatural proof, but as meaningful expressions of compassion, healing and hope. The class is designed for both readers of the book and those engaging through lecture and discussion. Each session will include a brief lecture by Rev. Dr. Lindley DeGarmo summarizing Pagels’s insights, followed by open conversation and reflection. Session 1, The Mystery and the Message, examines how miracle stories were understood in the ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman world, and how early Christians used them to proclaim God’s nearness and mercy. Session 2, History, Faith and the Stories We Tell, explores the Gospels not as biographies but as theological documents shaped by communal trauma and resilience, especially after the destruction of the Temple. Session 3, Wonder and Meaning in Our Time, reflects on what “miracle” might mean today—through Pagels’s personal lens of loss and renewal—and how ancient stories can still inspire justice, imagination, and healing.
 

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