Experience the Bible From a New Perspective!

Holder of a MDiv and a PhD in Biblical Interpretation – Old Testament/Hebrew Bible from Brite Divinity School, Rev. Dr. Alfie Wines is a coach/mentor, 8x author/editor/contributor which includes 3 Amazon bestsellers, biblical scholar, pastor emerita, theologian, transformational speaker, emotional motivator, and spiritual entrepreneur. Whether discussing our personal lives,  national life, or the biblical text, Dr. Wines believes it is important  to "tell the whole story, tell the rest of the story."

Dr. Wines' interest in the scriptures began in 1978 when she returned to church after a ten-year hiatus.  Believing it was important to take, not just send her daughter to Sunday School, she started attending an Adult Sunday School.  It was there that her interest in scripture began. Her background as a Bible Teacher includes being the "sub" when the Adult Sunday School teacher was absent, teaching Adult Sunday School classes as a layperson, personal study, completing her doctorate in biblical interpretation, leading Adult Bible Studies throughout her 17 years as a pastor, and 8 years of teaching Bible Studies online. 

In addition to leading numerous Bible Studies, Dr. Wines is the founder and co-convener of Freedom Table. Freedom Meal answers the question, “What Shall We Do Between Juneteenth and July 4th?” Freedom Table was formed to acknowledge that we can and must “Tell the Story, The Whole Story, Our Story.” Freedom Table's threefold commitment is to (1) tell the story by reconfiguring our social/historical memory, (2) tell the whole story by opening and resetting our moral imagination, and (3) tell our story by reaffirming our commitment to liberty and justice for all. While the 2024 Inaugural Freedom Table was local, plans call for expanding it to make it a national annual event held on July 1. 

Dr. Wines writes biblical commentaries, essays, and a guest column (Durable Faith) for the Working Preacher, Craft of Preaching, and Enter the Bible websites sponsored by Luther Seminary. She serves as a Board Member and writes blogs for Equity for Women in the Church, an ecumenical movement that “empowers people of all ages, races, and denominations to realize the full potential of their divine giftedness and to advocate for clergywomen's equity and inclusion in ministry.” She is a member of Daughters of Abraham, a group of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women who live and strive for peace.

Her most recent book titles are a collaborative work: Christian Life Journal: 52 Weeks – Prayers, Bible Study, Habits & Goals co-authored with Lonzetta Allen, ED.D. and an edited work, I Wish Someone Had Told Me: Equity for Women in the Church. Other titles include: a book and journal, Take Back Your Life: How to Break Through When Life Breaks Your Heart, Seasons: The Stages of Life, and an edited work, If I Could Not Pray: The Devotional Companion for All Who Need a Lamp to Shine Through the Darkness. In addition, she has contributed chapters to: Unstoppable Leaders: Audacious First Steps to Live the Life You Want Guided Journal andHealing Voices: Women of Faith Who Survived Abuse Speak Out, Volume 1. Three books, Freedom Meal, An Introduction to the Bible, and Thinking the Unthinkable: God as Enemy – An Image of God in the Book of Job and Other Books of the Hebrew Bible are forthcoming. 

Dr. Wines currently serves as Pastor Emerita at Grace Methodist Metroplex, Fort Worth, TX, on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University where she previously served five years as pastor. 

We all know that Bible Study involves lifelong learning. Frequently, this learning  focuses on wisdom and comfort for life's challenges as well as exhortations, often summarized as lists of don's and don'ts, for daily living. . . . Yes, exhortations inspire and motivate us for Christian living.  Words of wisdom guide us, words of comfort ease the pain when life breaks our hearts. 

Growing up I studied the Bible that way too . . . . Years later, when I was an undergrad, I started reading on my own. To my dismay, the Bible just did not make sense. My reading was very minimal, if at all.  

 
It wasn't until many years later that I discovered there is more, much more to reading and studying the Bible than wisdom, comfort, and exhortations . . . There are many hard places in scripture that get overlooked . . . Yet, these are the places that got me excited about reading the Bible! 

 
I began to realize that many Bible Studies fail to address the complexities of the biblical text. Complexities in the biblical text exist because life is complex. Moreover, biblical writers are not monolithic. They come from a variety of social locations, live in different periods, and address different issues from different perspectives. They use different writing styles.  

 
Compilers of the biblical text were wise enough to include this variety--variety which results in complexities that often lead to cognitive dissonance, i.e. holding two conflicting beliefs, values, ideas or attitudes at the same time. 

Biblical writers, editors, and compilers did not shy away from this complexity, and neither should we . . . . Much like biblical writers, editors, and compilers, Bible Remix does NOT shy away from these complexities. 

That's why I designed Bible Remix as a holistic approach to reading the biblical text as literature. Bible Remix honors the Jewish heritage of the Christian faith and helps us remember that the Bible is a text that always has community, not just individuals, in mind. We'll delve into "The Whole Story, the Rest of the Story-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" that makes the Bible the world's all-time bestseller!!

 
Again and again, I've heard people say, "I've been in church all my life, but this is the first time I understand how things fit together." Yes, people who study with me learn to think about the bible holistically.  

You'll never read the Bible the Same Way Again!!!