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Theology teacher Julia Parks ’03 is not the center of attention at any social gathering. She’s the person who sits back and listens and eventually shares an observation that adds a new perspective to the conversation.
“I’m a thinky person, a classic introvert,” she said.
With that comes not only strong listening skills but also a great appreciation of people’s stories.
“Story is important,” Mrs. Parks said. “Story can tell us so much about who we are as human beings. A good story gives us so much insight into ourselves and beyond ourselves. Whether it’s a good book or a good movie I will deep dive into it to see if there is truth in it. With Theology there’s so much story, and I don’t mean fiction. It’s more of an adventure … my story, your story, it’s all interconnected and that’s what God is with us. That’s the body of Christ, bringing us all together and I think story is a good way to do that.”
Mrs. Parks has been known to incorporate Captain America into the curriculum. At one time she showed the movie Captain America Civil War to her senior Theology classes.
“We were talking about the importance of social teaching and conversation and in Captain America Civil War everyone is on the same side but with different opinions of how to get the ending they want.”
While weaving a popular movie into the curriculum can help students make connections, Mrs. Parks’ classes still spend plenty of time on scripture.
“We examine scriptures,” she said. “I encourage students to put themselves into the story and react to it that way … maybe as a character in the story or even a bystander. It’s a way to see the truth in our life. We’re not perfect but God meets us where we are. That’s one of the things I like about teaching Theology.”
Her freshman classes delve into the old testament, searching through Genesis to map out the descendants of Abraham which leads to questions of multiple wives and children.
“They see the messiness,” said Mrs. Parks. “God comes into our mess. God deals with our mess. The faithfulness of these figures is not dependent on their perfection but that they let God into their mess and Jesus then chooses to come into the mess of the human family.
“I wouldn’t do this if I couldn’t believe it, but I also struggle and have questions and that’s what I want the students to see. You can have questions and I will provide answers as best I can, but let Him into the mess.”
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