--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My course is a survey of how readings of…" description: "\"“My course is a survey of how readings of the same constant text have varied over the centuries, from the formation of the canon to our present time, d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/peter-j-gomes-44015_bad-news_my-course-is-a-survey-of-how-readings-of_1112319.png" --- # My course is a survey of how readings of the same constant… ![“My course is a survey of how readings of the same constant text have varied over the centuries, from the formation of the canon to our present time, dependent on context and subtext. A community in exile will read differently than a community in apparent full possession of all it surveys, with…” quote by Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/peter-j-gomes-44015_bad-news_my-course-is-a-survey-of-how-readings-of_1112319.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/peter-j-gomes-44015_bad-news_my-course-is-a-survey-of-how-readings-of_1112319.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/peter-j-gomes-44015_bad-news_my-course-is-a-survey-of-how-readings-of_1112319.png) > ““My course is a survey of how readings of the same constant text have varied over the centuries, from the formation of the canon to our present time, dependent on context and subtext. A community in exile will read differently than a community in apparent full possession of all it surveys, with those who have nothing welcoming the promised overturning of the standing order, and those who have much of this world's goods not longing for the end of the age. Depending, then, upon how one reads and interprets, either the Bible is a textbook for the status quo, of quiescent pieties and promises, or it is a recipe for social change and transformation. There are churches dedicated to each point of view, each claiming its share of the good news; but what is good news for some is often bad news for somebody else.”” [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interpretations of a sacred text shift over time, shaped by readers' contexts, power dynamics, and societal needs, leading to divergent views of its purpose. **In simple terms:** Reading changes with context, leading to different meanings. Key Takeaway Recognize how context shapes interpretation. Themes religion interpretation power society history Mood reflective critical Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - church sermons - academic studies - political debates - community gatherings - personal study Key Concepts theology canon formation social change ideology Questions to Reflect On - What influences your reading of foundational texts? - How can diverse readings coexist? A Different Perspective Interpretations can be used to justify conflicting agendas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Good news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-news/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Present time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-time/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Social change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-change/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If a little less time was devoted to the translation of letters by Julius Caesar describing Britain 2000 years ago and a little more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-sydney-nyholm/if-a-little-less-time-was-devoted-to-the-translation-of-letters-by/) Ronald Sydney Nyholm > [“The insights, interpretations both of theory and fact, and the implicit values of this book are inevitably my own. But whether or not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-insights-interpretations-both-of-theory-and-fact-and-the-implicit/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [What I do when I act and direct is I do a small version, go a little bigger, do a medium one, an over-the-top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/what-i-do-when-i-act-and-direct-is-i-do-a-small-version-go-a-little/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [At readings, audience members sometimes ask if I keep writing past the two hours if I'm on a roll, but I don't. I figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/at-readings-audience-members-sometimes-ask-if-i-keep-writing-past-the/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [“Though a work of literature can be read in a number of ways, this number is finite and can be arranged in a hierarchical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-3/though-a-work-of-literature-can-be-read-in-a-number-of-ways-this/) [W H Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-3/) > [I'm an active author: I travel to give readings and talks, although I know it's risky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felice-picano/i-m-an-active-author-i-travel-to-give-readings-and-talks-although-i/) [Felice Picano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felice-picano/) > [I don't do as many readings as I used to. There was a time when I was on the road a lot more, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/i-don-t-do-as-many-readings-as-i-used-to-there-was-a-time-when-i-was/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [It makes me believe in fate. In most cases, the readings where I've been really bad have usually been the ones where I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/it-makes-me-believe-in-fate-in-most-cases-the-readings-where-i-ve/) [Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/) > [Once I started first grade, I started going to Emmanuel Baptist Church regularly. I went to Sunday school. We had Bible readings and things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/once-i-started-first-grade-i-started-going-to-emmanuel-baptist-church/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [Readings all have their own intricacies but every reading has been fulfilling, even the challenging ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/readings-all-have-their-own-intricacies-but-every-reading-has-been/) [Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/) > [If you actually do cold readings, it's very close to how people actually talk, because you're experiencing these thoughts anew every moment, and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patton-oswalt/if-you-actually-do-cold-readings-it-s-very-close-to-how-people/) [Patton Oswalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patton-oswalt/) > [I got to L.A., and they said I had to lose weight, let my hair grow and buy some dresses. I was nailing auditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-got-to-l-a-and-they-said-i-had-to-lose-weight-let-my-hair-grow-and/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [“Reading can lead a person towards better tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abid-hussain-library-officer/reading-can-lead-a-person-towards-better-tomorrow/) [Abid Hussain Library Officer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abid-hussain-library-officer/) > [My readings are really about connecting people, whether it's to their deceased loved ones and finding the closure through that or connecting them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/my-readings-are-really-about-connecting-people-whether-it-s-to-their/) [Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/) > [When I'm not doing readings, I just spend a lot of time alone and try to meditate. Going for walks in nature is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/when-i-m-not-doing-readings-i-just-spend-a-lot-of-time-alone-and-try/) [Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/) ## More by Peter J. Gomes > [The Bible is not God, nor is it a substitute for God, and to treat it as if it were God or a surrogate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/the-bible-is-not-god-nor-is-it-a-substitute-for-god-and-to-treat-it/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [“It is interesting to me to note that those who most frequently call for fair play are those who are advantaged by the play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/it-is-interesting-to-me-to-note-that-those-who-most-frequently-call/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [“Mystery is not an argument for the existence of God; mystery is an experience of the existence of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/mystery-is-not-an-argument-for-the-existence-of-god-mystery-is-an/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [It does not take a great deal of imagination or courage to believe that God is on your side when you are prospering or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/it-does-not-take-a-great-deal-of-imagination-or-courage-to-believe/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [“Perhaps the most dangerous verse in all the Bible is the second verse of Romans 12, where Saint Paul endorses Christian nonconformity. When he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/perhaps-the-most-dangerous-verse-in-all-the-bible-is-the-second-verse/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [To some, the temporal triumph of the Christian community in the world is a sign of God's favor and the essential righteousness of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/to-some-the-temporal-triumph-of-the-christian-community-in-the-world/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [The resurrection is God's way of getting our attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/the-resurrection-is-god-s-way-of-getting-our-attention/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) > [The question should not be 'What would Jesus do?' but rather, more dangerously, 'What would Jesus have me do?' The onus is not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-gomes/the-question-should-not-be-what-would-jesus-do-but-rather-more/) [Peter J. Gomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) [Explore all 9 Peter J. Gomes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-gomes/) ## More Bad news quotes > [In the wake of such bad news, it was heartening to know that what 'Sense8' stood for meant so much to so many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-j-smith/in-the-wake-of-such-bad-news-it-was-heartening-to-know-that-what/) [Brian J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-j-smith/) > [“I remember a man, a very lonely man, coming up to me at the end of a reading and looking into my face and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/i-remember-a-man-a-very-lonely-man-coming-up-to-me-at-the-end-of-a/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [If there's one thing you should know about me it's that I'm utterly unsuited for bureaucracy. I don't know my passwords to anything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/if-there-s-one-thing-you-should-know-about-me-it-s-that-i-m-utterly/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I seem to thrive by destroying the last thing I did, in a kind of cartoon Nietzsche way. Emerson says in "Experience" something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chiasson/i-seem-to-thrive-by-destroying-the-last-thing-i-did-in-a-kind-of/) [Dan Chiasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chiasson/) > [“The bad news is that, measured in terms of geologic time, if the Earth’s history is an accurate guide, glaciers will soon return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bernstein/the-bad-news-is-that-measured-in-terms-of-geologic-time-if-the-earth/) [Andrew Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bernstein/) > [I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David, as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-love-an-underdog-no-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-the-cartoon-i-mean/) [Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/) > [The good news is that economists are intelligent, engaging and often charming folks. The bad news is their work is often of little use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-good-news-is-that-economists-are-intelligent-engaging-and-often/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [The flatter the corporate hierarchy, the more likely it is that employees will communicate bad news and act upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-flatter-the-corporate-hierarchy-the-more-likely-it-is-that/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The good news may be that Nature is phasing out the white man, but the bad news is that's who She thinks we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-good-news-may-be-that-nature-is-phasing-out-the-white-man-but-the/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [For a long period of time, the media covered rap music and hip hop the same way they cover a lot of black people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/for-a-long-period-of-time-the-media-covered-rap-music-and-hip-hop-the/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/shifting-from-a-superior-inferior-paradigm-to-a-strength-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/) [Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/) Browse all 691 Bad news quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My course is a survey of how readings of the same constant text have varied over the centuries, from the formation of the canon to our present time, dependent on context and subtext. A community in exile will read differently than a community in apparent full possession of all it surveys, with those who have nothing welcoming the promised overturning of the standing order, and those who have much of this world's goods not longing for the end of the age. Depending, then, upon how one reads and interprets, either the Bible is a textbook for the status quo, of quiescent pieties and promises, or it is a recipe for social change and transformation. 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