Karen Wenell

All Consuming Christmas? Religion, Culture and Challenges of Consumption

In contemporary society, Christmas is a hol(y)day which has the potential to focus our critical energies in examining traditions, both cultural and religious, and provides an opportunity to take a closer look at ethical issues in the practice of consumption throughout the year.

A Markan “Context” Kingdom? Examining Biblical and Social Models in Spatial Interpretation

This article argues for the Kingdom of God as a central spatial concept to Marks Gospel, but one that ought to be understood “without context.” For this, Bruno Latours critique of “context” and “the social” is employed in order to challenge the usefulness of both biblical models of space and social scientific models for interpretation, and to investigate what is new in the Kingdoms construction as a space. The article engages with Esler and Horrells 2000 debate in JSNT over social scientific methodologies, with the ultimate goal of moving from an understanding of what is social about the Kingdom as explanans—an explaining element—to explanandum—what needs to be explained.

Contested Temple Space and Visionary Kingdom Space in Mark 11-12

In Mark 11-12 sacred space is being reformulated in a way that does not emphasize the central role of the Jerusalem temple. The action and teachings which are placed in the temple in the narrative show a conflict of values, making the temple a contested space. Marks Gospel is part of the shaping of these ideas, and though not fully worked out in a comprehensive spatial worldview, the notion of the kingdom of God and the heavenly location of God as Father suggest a visionary space to which followers might order and orient their lives. It is out of this conflict of values that new notions of sacred space are able to emerge.

Kingdom, Not Kingly Rule: Assessing the Kingdom of God as Sacred Space

Arguing that Gustaf Dalman’s definition of βασιλeία as ‘kingly rule’ has severely limited possibilities in biblical scholarship for appreciation of the kingdom as space, this article interacts with key insights into the human relationship with sacred space in order to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the kingdom of God. Rather than restricting meaning by limiting space to that which is physical and concrete, the discussion seeks to open up the meaning of the kingdom as a community space, connected to the divine, and spoken of as having a boundary and a specific point of entry; a space with both universal and particular aspects; and a space which draws on the expectation of a new world. All of these aspects of the kingdom illustrate the contours of a relationship among God-people-space that is performative and constantly in motion.