Pastors Edge

I continue to be touched by the writings of Margaret Feinberg. Recently, I caught up with Margaret to ask a few unusual questions about her newest book, Scouting the Divine, for a JonathanMerritt.com exclusive interview which has been posted below. Enjoy!

JM: This book is so different from anything else you've written. What events surrounded your decision to write this book?

MF:  All too often, when I open the Bible, I feel a sense of disconnect. The stories were written thousands of years ago in a distant culture. In addition, the Bible is written in a primarily agrarian society and I live in a modern urban/suburban world. While I cannot go back in time and experience ancient culture, I can do something about learning more about the agrarian world in which the Bible is written. For Scouting the Divine, I decided to travel to Oregon to spend time with a shepherd, Nebraska to talk to a famer, Colorado to learn from a beekeeper, and Napa Valley to hang out with a vintner. With each individual, I asked, 'How do you read this, not as a theologian, but in light of what you do everyday?' Their responses change the way I read the Bible.

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  JM: In Scouting, you visit a beekeeper, farmer, vintner, and shepherdess, but you devote a lot more time and space to the shepherdess. Do you just love sheep or was this intentional?

MF: Of all four themes that I examined, sheep, shepherds, and flocks are mentioned almost 700 times in the Bible, whereas bees, honey, and honeycomb are recorded less than 70 times. I apportioned the proper amount of attention to what I found in scripture as well as the experiences I had.

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JM: The drinking issue can be controversial for some Christians. Did you hesitate to explore the theme of wine in the Scriptures?

MF: I didn't hesitate a moment when it came to exploring wine and vine. Without such explanation, it's hard to fully understand what Jesus meant in John 15 when He said, "Abide in Me." The hesitation came in putting wine in the subtitle. I recently had a conservative interviewer read the subtitle and say, "Whoa, my search for God in wine--what do you mean by that?" Once I explain all is well but a few people get thrown. I'm encouraged LifeWay chose to keep the subtitle for the Scouting the Divine DVD cirriculum that releases in January 2010.

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JM: One of my favorite things about your book, The Organic God, was the soundtrack in the back. In your next book, The Sacred Echo, the soundtrack was conspicuously absent. In Scouting, I was happy to find you included a soundtrack again. Any reasoning behind this?

MF: You must have gotten a first print edition! All the later print editions of The Sacred Echo have a soundtrack. Why? Because I didn't realize how important it was to people until the letters began rolling in so we added it to later printings. It's amazing how people interact with the soundtrack and how it adds texture to their reading of the book.

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Interested?

Purchase Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool and Wild Honey.*

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