Rediscovering The Art of Dynamic Bible Study
Sometimes, the best conversations aren't planned. This week on the podcast, we’re sharing an impromptu, off-camera moment that turned into something too good not to share. Dr. Derek Suderman, a Hebrew Bible scholar from Conrad Grebel University College, sat down with us to talk about Bible study—what it is, what it isn’t, and what it could be.
If you were part of our Catching the Spark series on Ruth, you’ll know what we mean when we say that Derek doesn’t just teach the Bible. He helps people see it in ways they haven’t before. His approach is grounded, thoughtful, and surprisingly freeing. In this episode, he reflects on how reading Scripture slowly, with others, and with curiosity can open up space for transformation—not just information.
Derek speaks out of years of experience teaching across cultures, denominations, and generations. But more than that, he speaks as someone who genuinely loves helping others wrestle with the text. This isn’t about mastering the Bible. It’s about walking through it together, noticing the details, and asking better questions along the way.
We hope this conversation leaves you encouraged, challenged, and maybe even ready to gather a few people and give Bible study another try.
About Derek Suderman
Derek Suderman teaches in both the undergraduate Religious Studies and graduate Master of Theological Studies programs. In addition to his textual work as a Hebrew Bible/Old Testament scholar, Suderman explores how diverse cultural and historical contexts inform biblical interpretation and ethical discernment.
Suderman explores the language and cultures of the Bible, often making what students expect to be familiar look quite strange; this in turn provides students with a mirror to see their own settings and beliefs in a new way. He believes that being part of a 'living tradition' involves not simply defending this tradition but recognizing problems and blind spots within it. Suderman proves particularly interested in exploring how the Bible has been used to both justify and oppose violence within the broad history of the Christian tradition.
Suderman has broad research interests, including investigating: the socialaudience of the Psalms; gendered and other forms of violence in the prophets; wisdom literature as a resource for contemporary interfaith dialogue and cooperation; and the ethical implications of biblical interpretation, focused particularly on violence in the Bible and contemporary issues related to Indigenous peoples. Suderman loves to travel and has taught or made academic presentations on 5 continents.