Lynn Japinga on OT women; Jesus and a child's initiative; and the phone proximity effect

Welcome to my newsletter, ‘Bible, Mission, and More’, where I share what’s on my mind as I teach, research, and write on the Bible and mission, children-at-risk in the Bible and contemporary society, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, and a range of other topics. I teach at All Nations Christian College in the UK, though views are my own.

Each Tuesday I’ll share something I’ve read, something I’ve written or recorded, something on learning and teaching, and a quote to reflect on.

Something read – Lynn Japinga on Women’s stories from the Old Testament

I’m currently enjoying Lynn Japinga’s 2020 book, From Widows to Warriors: Women’s Stories from the Old Testament (Westminster John Knox, 2020). It is a follow up to her previous Preaching the Women of the Old Testament (in fact it incorporates some of that material).

I’ve learned a lot from scholars like Elaine Storkey, Mary Evans, Kat Armas about paying attention to what the text does (and doesn’t) say about particular women in the Bible. Japinga’s book covers the stories of about 40 women, outlining their role in the story and exploring significant themes and issues of interpretation. She does a great job showing the three-dimensional portrait of many of these women, and asking hard questions about how they have been treated by interpretive traditions.

It's not always a comfortable read, but neither should it be. You may not always agree with her interpretation or conclusions, but she will make you think deeply about these important texts and women.

You’ll find both of Japinga’s books in Perlego. You can also see a short interview with her on the publisher’s website: Q&A with author Lynn Japinga

Something written – Jesus and a child’s initiative

I recently wrote the Scripture reflection for the Who Cares? November prayer resource for Home for Good Safe Families. The focus this month is John 6 and the feeding of the 5000.

Although the incident is reported in all four Gospels, John is the only one who mentions the boy who provides the food. Andrew brings the boy to Jesus but focuses on the limitations, saying, ‘… but how far will they go among so many?’ (John 6:9, NIVUK). Colin Kruse in his Tyndale NT commentary on John suggests, ‘It is hard to imagine that Andrew thought this would be of any help in the situation, and so it is likely he only brought the boy to Jesus because the boy himself had taken the initiative and wanted to offer what he had.’

As I reflect in the devotional, ‘I don’t suppose the boy knew how his small gift of food would help the overall problem, but he did know he wanted to give what he had to Jesus.’ There is a degree of speculation here, of course, but we often overlook the role children play in biblical narratives and it is important to ask these kinds of questions and apply our imaginations appropriately. I don’t think it is unreasonable to think of this child as taking the initiative where adults were either unable or unwilling to do so, and giving what he had.

You can sign up to the Who Cares? campaign here: Who Cares?

Learning and teaching – Students and the phone proximity effect on studying

Learning to make the most of focused study time is an essential part of your study toolkit. The ‘phone proximity effect’ is a phenomenon identified a few years ago that describes the distracting effect of having your phone near you when you are trying to complete a task. You can read about it here and here.

We are used to the idea that being interrupted by notifications can be a distraction. OK, so let’s put our phone on silent and turn it upside down. But the phone proximity effect goes further and suggests that even the physical presence of your phone will be distracting you to some degree. And this is the case whether it is turned off or not!

I’ve been experimenting with this a bit recently. It does seem to make a difference sometimes to my focus if my phone is by my desk, somewhere else in the room and out of sight, or in a different room. Again, it’s not just that having the phone nearby makes it easy to reach for it and be actively distracted. Researchers liken the presence of a phone to having your name called out in a crowded room:

‘Our research suggests that, in a way, the mere presence of our smartphones is like the sound of our names — they are constantly calling to us, exerting a gravitational pull on our attention. If you have ever felt a “phantom buzz” you inherently know this. Attempts to block or resist this pull takes a toll by impairing our cognitive abilities. In a poignant twist, then, this means that when we are successful at resisting the urge to attend to our smartphones, we may actually be undermining our own cognitive performance.’ (HBR article, Having Your Smartphone Nearby Takes a Toll on Your Thinking)

Where possible, why don’t you try leaving your phone in a different room. At first, try it for 10 minutes and get used to it. Try it for 30 minutes or an hour and see what a difference it makes.

Quote – Wilmer Villacorta on missiology and the laughter of God

‘A missiology of joy must heed the delight and laughter of God.’ (p. 308)

Villacorta, Wilmer. (2020). ‘Sowing in Tears, Reaping with Joy: The Power of Joy in Missional Thinking.’ Missiology, 48(3), 299-310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091829620947128

Thanks for joining the journey and see you next week,

Tim