The start of the official SNTS program yesterday evening was with the first of two scheduled business meetings. Business meetings are not always emotionally moving, but two moments in this one were. The first was when the names of members who had passed away were read, and we were asked to stand to honor them. The list included quite a number of big names in the field of New Testament. Just as many of us have felt about the passing of so many big names in popular music over the past year, that is how this list of names felt to me as a New Testament scholars.
The second point that was moving was when current president Judith Lieu offered a challenge to members to reflect on why there is such a gender imbalance in the organization, even more so than in the field as a whole (and even there it is a problem). I was really struck by the similarity between the questions Lieu asked us to consider, and those that have come up in discussions among bibliobloggers. Once a group feels like a predominantly male club, female scholars may wonder why they would even want to join. I hope to make a point of nominating female New Testament scholars who have published at least two books for membership (and encouraging them to blog as well). If you fit that category and are interested in talking more about SNTS, please let me know!
On the next page, I will talk about the opening reception…
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