Data Over Dogma Serving Up Scripture With Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi
Feb 9, 2026
Jennifer Garcia Bashaw, New Testament professor and ordained Baptist minister, and Aaron Higashi, public Bible scholar and teacher, discuss their new book on interpreting scripture. They use a food-and-chef metaphor, unpack genre and literary questions, explore contextual and liberation lenses, and consider queer and marginalized readings. Conversations focus on how interpreters’ identities shape readings and on resisting harmful uses of the Bible.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Name Your Interpretive Context
- Contextual theology makes interpreters transparent about their perspective and motives.
- Aaron says admitting bias helps expose false claims of neutral, 'just what the text says' readings.
See God In The Oppressed
- Liberation theology highlights God taking the form of the oppressed and centers marginalized voices.
- Aaron and Jennifer encourage broader public conversation using those perspectives today.
Learn Genres Before Exegesis
- Learn ancient genres before interpreting passages so you read them as intended.
- Jennifer argues genre awareness prevents misreading poetic, legal, narrative, and epistolary texts.
