Fort Smith Times

Many are concerned that test-takers have been retraumatized by having to exegete ‘The Levite’s Concubine,’ a story that includes sexual violence and murder

The most recent exegesis ordination exam has resulted in a deluge of concerned and critical social media comments from clergy and others saying that requiring seminarians to exegete one of the most difficult texts in the Bible, Judges 19:1-30, “The Levite’s Concubine,” has caused many candidates for ministry to be re-traumatized after suffering previous harms.

“I don’t speak vaguely or abstractly,” said the Rev. Elana Keppel Levy, co-pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Bixby, Oklahoma, near Tulsa, a survivor of sexual assault who has a master of social work in addition to an MDiv degree and was planning to be a therapist before entering seminary. “There is a huge disconnect between people who live this and people in positions of power.”

Keppel Levy circulated a petition that received more than 400 signatures in less than 24 hours. The petition objects to the choice of Judges 19 for the exegesis exam, saying, “While it is a vital skill for pastors to be able to interpret, teach and preach from scripture, stories that feature extreme violence and sexual violence cause harm for both test takers and readers.” Those signing the petition request an apology from the committee that does the testing required for ordination, the Presbyteries’ Cooperative Committee on Examinations for Candidates, and “a commitment from the committee to agree to oversight from a person or persons who have authority to act to prevent such harm from ever happening again.”

“There is a time and place for difficult Bible passages. We need to be intentional and remember candidates for ministry are people,” Keppel Levy said. “We need to care for people taking these exams, who have no power and no voice.”

Her own exegetical exam was on Genesis 22:1-18, another difficult biblical passage commonly called “The Binding of Isaac.”

Original source can be found here.