A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Scriptural Imagination

What is scriptural imagination? The word imagination does not mean the Bible is fantasy or untrue. A scriptural imagination allows us to look at the world through the stories and images of the Bible. As we view our world with scriptural imagination, we enter a continuous process of becoming more Christlike.

In A Beginner's Guide to Practicing Scriptural Imagination, Kenneth Carter focuses on four scripture passages to give readers an easy entry into the practice of scriptural imagination. Carter advocates reading and reflecting on the biblical texts with a group.

Carter says that almost every situation and problem we face can be addressed by men and women sitting with biblical texts, listening for what God might be saying through those passages. Equally important is taking time to listen attentively to people who are marginalized. As readers practice the spiritual exercises in this book, they will grow as disciples of Jesus who can then transform their world.

Kenneth H. Carter Jr. is resident bishop of the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church. He gives pastoral and administrative leadership to almost 800 congregations, fresh expressions of church, campus ministries, and outreach initiatives in an episcopal area that stretches from Tallahassee and Jacksonville to Miami and the Keys. He came to the Florida Conference in 2012 after serving for 29 years as a local church pastor in western North Carolina. Bishop Carter is the author of 11 books, including Pray for Me (Upper Room Books, 2012) and Embracing The Wideness: The Shared Convictions of United Methodists (Abingdon Press, 2018). Carter and his wife, Pam, have two adult daughters. His hobbies and interests include baseball (MLB and spring training), Duke basketball, hiking, Florida seafood, North Carolina barbecue, travel, reading, and roots music.