Over one hundred documents from early Christianity have been discovered since 1850, opening up new possibilities in Biblical studies. The words of the earliest Christian hymns are found in the Odes of Solomon. The Gospel of Thomas contains the wisdom teachings of Jesus. While material like the Gospel of Mary and Thunder Perfect Mind bring women out from the margins of the tradition into view. These texts have the potential to enliven spiritual lives and expand Biblical imagination. However, until recently, this material has been dismissed as heretical, kept in the rarified air of the academy, or stereotyped as the fulfillment of New Age promises.

This project seeks to explore the effects of newly discovered texts on Biblical imagination when investigated with integrity within the spaces of Christian education and worship, as well as being made accessible to the public through visual media. I will collaborate with scholars and artists to bridge the gulf between the world of the newly discovered texts and the twenty-first century through Bible studies, sermons, and animated short videos. My ministry at First Congregational Church has helped inspire this initiative. Over the next eighteen months, I will present the diversity of early Christianity, utilizing the creativity, scholarship, and technological tools that can make this material accessible.