One of my greatest joys about working at a state institution is getting to teach religious studies to students who have never read these texts before. Although I never dreamed that I would be working at a state school, I have flourished here. I have had many wonderful encounters with colleagues and students over the years of my work. One of my favorite things is to talk with students one on one in my office as they wrestle with issues of their faith or their lack of faith. I remember Nancy, who was simply taking an elective to fulfill her pre-pharmacy requirement. She was very intellectual, and had not been raised in a religious tradition. She took my Old Testament survey class as a way to burn through some elective hours, but also in order to read these texts in a neutral (nonreligious) setting.
She was especially entranced by the prophets. She was drawn to their powerful sense of justice and concern for the poor and distressed. Nancy was equally enchanted by the book of Job. She was amazed that someone could be so passionately faithful to God, while at the same time rage against Yahweh for all of the pain and suffering that he encountered.
Toward the end of the semester, Nancy came by the office to inform me that she was committed to reading the entire Old Testament. She told me that while she had never read these texts before, she looked forward to reading them through slowly and deliberately. She thanked me for the class and for the objective way that approached classroom discussion. I wished her well as she left my office and left our campus for pharmacy school.
I often wonder what ever happened to her? Did these texts change her life in the same way that they have changed mine?
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