Poverty in the Biblical World

Call For Papers: This year’s focus is on migration and on how capitalist biblical-interpretation affects religious practice and social policy. SESSION 1 (Open Call): “Migration and Reaction: Biblical Approaches to a Modern Issue.” Immigration and refugees relief has become increasingly politicized and polarized in the US. In response, cities and churches have declared themselves as sanctuaries and people protest the separation of families at the border. We invite critical presentations on biblical narratives and laws concerned with migration that connect/compare to related contemporary issues. Proposals should focus on key texts concerned with migration (e.g. treatment of gerim, flights out of/into Egypt, etc.). Presenters will connect prior to SBL 2019 to exchange ideas. SESSION 2 (Open Call): "Chasing the Ba’als: Apostasy and the Unholy Markets of Neoliberalism." Warnings against placing wealth accumulation before allegiance to God—as found in biblical laws, prophecies, parables, and apocalyptic texts—seem pertinent in an age when corporate profits break records, but income disparity reaches new heights. Some ancient religious and political leaders altered their faith in their quests for wealth and power; the same is found today. Focusing on impacts on impoverished peoples and possible responses, papers will explore how neoliberal capitalism has shaped biblical interpretations to support wealth extraction for the benefit of the few, and at the cost of the most vulnerable. Topics might include Cold War suppressions of people’s movements, ecological destruction, anti-poor sentiment, and the rise of prosperity theology. SESSION 3: (Off-Site Tour): Poverty, Ecology, and Immigration.” Every day 70,000 people cross the San Diego/Tijuana border. With local community organizers, sociologists, and historians, we will explore immigration through an ecological lens to highlight the complexities immigrants/refugees face and uncover connections between biblical studies and justice movements

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