Wednesdays | January 14 – May 13, 2026
6:00 – 7:00 pm | Room 336 | Zoom
Childcare Available | Registration Requested

During this Easter season, we will move on to the book of Daniel. The Book of Daniel is a rich and complex text set during the Babylonian exile, when the people of Israel were living under foreign rule, far from home, and wrestling with questions of identity, faithfulness, and hope. It follows Daniel and his companions as they navigate life in the courts of powerful empires—Babylon and Persia—while remaining rooted in their covenant with God.

Daniel is unique because it blends multiple genres. The first half (chapters 1–6) reads like court tales—narrative stories of faith under pressure: refusing royal food, surviving the fiery furnace, and the lions’ den. These stories highlight courage, resistance, and God’s faithfulness in the midst of political and cultural tension.

The second half (chapters 7–12) shifts into apocalyptic literature, filled with dreams, visions, symbolic beasts, and cosmic upheaval. This genre uses vivid imagery to reveal deeper spiritual truths: that even when earthly kingdoms seem dominant, God’s reign is ultimate and enduring. Apocalyptic writing often emerges in times of crisis, offering hope not by denying reality, but by reframing it through God’s larger story.

For us today, Daniel speaks into moments when faith feels countercultural, when the world feels unstable, or when we wonder how to live with integrity in systems we did not choose. It invites us to consider: How do we remain faithful without withdrawing? How do we trust God when outcomes are uncertain? And how might hope take shape—not as easy optimism, but as resilient, imaginative trust in God’s ongoing work?

There is no homework for this class and no required reading materials. We will read and discuss the text together in depth each week.

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