Letter of James Class Projects
Seminarians often face the challenge of translating what they learn in class to their future lives of ministry. To encourage this kind of thinking, Dr. Margaret Aymer, The First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, D. Thomason Professor of New Testament Studies, assigned an exegetical (interpretive) project rather than a standard exegesis paper as the cumulative assignment for her exegesis class on the Letter of James. Below are a sampling of the creative projects her students developed in response to their semester-long engagement with James.
"Modern Day James"
Student Parker Lucas, following James' warning about how we use our tongues, created a blog that investigates speech on the internet.
Devotions for Young Adults
Student Rachel Watson's project focused on resilience in faith over life. In particular, she wanted to investigate what older Christians might have to teach younger adults about the kind of endurance that James describes. Over the course of the semester, she led older adults in a Bible study of her passage of James, and from their reflections created three Bible studies for young adults.
Thoughts and Prayers
Student Jonathan Freeman, taking seriously James' teaching about faith and works, composed an original song focused on the question of gun violence.
James 2:14-26
14 What is the gain, my siblings, if one claims to have faith, but they do not have works? Isn’t such a faith unable to save them?
15 If a sibling is stark-naked and left without the food they need each day, 16 then one of y’all says to them, “Go in peace! Be warmed, and be fed!” but does not offer them what the body needs, what is the gain? 17 In this way, faith is dead, if it is by itself and has no works.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith, by my works. 19 You believe that God is one. Great job! The demons also believe, and shudder.
20 Do you need to be shown, oh foolish person, that faith without works is slothful? 21 Wasn’t our father, Abraham, made righteous by works, having offered up Isaac, his son, on the altar? 22 You see that his faith was cooperating with his works, and by his works, his faith was made whole. 23 And the scripture that says “Abraham believed in god, and it was counted for him as righteousness” was fulfilled, and he was called God’s friend. 24 You perceive that it is by works that a person is made righteous, and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, wasn’t Rahab, the sex worker, also made righteous by works, having received the messengers and having sent them forth by another road?
26 For just as the body is dead without breath, so too is faith dead without works.
What’s the gain
Of the empty words we say
For 100 gone each day?
The streets are red
Despite everything we’ve said
Because every word was dead
And with all the willful ignorance of demons
We act like all that matters is believin’
And we let our siblings bleed out once again
And I’m praying for the day we say amen
What’s the gain
Of the slothful thoughts you’ve prayed
When you could’ve made a change?
There’s nothing there
When a body has no air
And your faith is just a prayer
And with all the willful ignorance of demons
We act like all that matters is believin’
And we let our siblings bleed out once again
And I’m praying for the day we say amen
And I’m praying for the day we say amen